Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2025-09-30 Tuesday

Episode Date: September 30, 2025

Democracy Now! Tuesday, September 30, 2025

From New York, this is Democracy Now. So this is a big, big day, a beautiful day, potentially one of the great days ever in civilization. President Trump unveils his 20-point proposal. to end Israel's war in Gaza, but many questions remain as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is already backing away from key elements of it. Hamas has not formally responded to the plan. We'll speak to Palestinian lawyer Diana Butu. Then the U.S. government appears to be headed to a shutdown tonight as Republicans refuse to extend Obamacare subsidies and reverse cuts to Medicaid. Republicans control the House and the Senate and as a Republican president. If the government shuts down,

it's because Republicans want to shut the government down. Then to President Trump's threat to send federal troops to Portland, Oregon. We do not need or want federal troops in Oregon, stoking fear, creating conflict, and frankly escalating a situation that is under control. And Trump has asked for 100 troops to be deployed to Chicago amidst a widening immigration crackdown. All that and more coming out. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman.

President Trump says he's nearing a deal to end Israel's assault on Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. On Monday, Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House, where he announced a 20-point peace plan for the Gaza Strip. Trump said he fully supports Israel's goal of destroying Hamas unless it accepts a proposal. The plan calls for a post-war Gaza authority secured by an international security force that would gradually replace Israeli troops occupying Gaza. It would split the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority and the West Bank. It would sideline key Palestinian political figures and would instead be run by an international body called the Board of Peace led by Donald Trump.

The board would also include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. That prompted former U.K. Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to write, quote, Tony Blair's catastrophic decision to invade Iraq cost thousands upon thousands of lives. He shouldn't be anywhere near the Middle East, let alone Gaza. It's not up to Blair, Trump, or Netanyahu decide the future of Gaza. It's up to the people of Palestine, Corbyn said. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu apologized to Qatar's prime minister. for violating Qatar's sovereignty in its airstrike on Doha earlier this month. The attack targeted Hamas leaders discussing a potential ceasefire, but failed to strike its primary targets, instead killing five Palestinians and a Qatari security officer. Netanyahu apologized for killing the Qatari security officer. Meanwhile, Israel's military continues to assault the Gaza Strip. Palestinian officials say Israeli attacks killed 50 people across Gaza on Monday, and at least 37 since dawn today.

Among the dead are 20 civilians killed while seeking food at aid distribution sites. On Monday, more Palestinians move southward along Gaza's coastal road, fleeing Israeli ground forces who are flattening whole neighborhoods of Gaza City as they advance. This is Samar Abd al-Jawad, a displaced Palestinian mother. We used to sleep on concrete. We used to sleep on mattresses. to sleep on beds. My children used to live a normal life. Now my house has been destroyed. It is gone. I ended up in the street. My husband used to work. My children used to eat the best

food and drink. Now we're left with a sheet and sand to sleep on. We can't even take a shower, just two wood poles and a sheet. Meanwhile, the number of Palestinians who've starved to death has risen to a 453. Ed Mahmoud Abu Jama died of malnutrition and chest infections in Haninas after Israel blocked access to food, infant formula, and other basic supplies. At her death, the two-and-a-half-month-old infant weighed less than she had when she was born. Her thumb was wider than her ankle. Here in New York, prosecutors have charged three people over a direct action targeting the New York Times last summer. On July 30th, protesters doused the Times headquarters in Manhattan in red paint with the words,

NYT lies because a dyes, spray painted on the building's windows. On Monday, prosecutors brought charges of felony criminal mischief against two protesters. Meanwhile, a photojournalist who took pictures of the direct action was charged with aggravated harassment the second degree as a hate crime. The group, Riders Against the War on Gaza, has condemned the prosecution as an attack on the movement to end Israel's assault on Gaza and an attempt to criminalize both journalistic and political speech. This is organizer Tracy Rosenthal.

This action echoed the tactics of Palestine action in targeting weapon. manufacturers here at the headquarters of the New York Times, and I think it must be understood as an anti-war action against the paper, which has supported nearly every U.S. war in my lifetime. I think we can turn to the words of Palestinian journalist Hassabat, who was assassinated by Israel this March, and who wrote in June 2024, language makes genocide justifiable. A reason why we are still being bombed after 243 days is because, of the New York Times. President Trump and Democratic leaders

failed to reach an agreement Monday on a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown starting at midnight tonight. Vice President J.D. Vance spoke to reporters after the White House negotiations. I think we're headed to do a shutdown because the Democrats won't do the right thing.

I hope they change their mind. Democrats are looking to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse Medicaid cuts and other health care programs that were implemented by the tax and spending bill passed earlier this year. Here's House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. They're telling the American people what they're all about. Largest cut to Medicaid in American

history ripping food from the mouths of hungry children, hungry seniors, and hungry veterans, and they did all of that to reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. That's what Republicans have been all about in terms of governing this year. And we're not down with any of that. If Congress fails to prevent a government shutdown, the federal government will stop publishing key economic data, including a Bureau of Labor Statistics report on jobs numbers in September and the Consumer Price Index data on inflation and wages. Meanwhile, Trump officials have stated they would conduct mass firings at federal agencies if the government shuts down. We'll have more on the looming shutdown later in the broadcast. The United Nations has reinstated sweeping economic and military sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, a decade after the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

The U.K., France and Germany, known as the E3, have accused Iran of, quote, continued nuclear escalation, unquote, after Iran stopped inspections of its nuclear facilities after Israel and the U.S. bombed them. Here's Iran's foreign minister of Basarachi. The E3 and the United States bear full responsibility for the serious consequences. of today's decision. By ignoring facts, spreading false claims, misrepresenting Iran's peaceful program, and blocking diplomacy, they have actively and intently paved the way for dangerous escalation. This comes as Iran executed a man the judiciary said was, quote, one of the most important spies for Israel in Iran, unquote. Iran has executed at least 10

people this year convicted of spying for Israel. The Trump administration struck a deal with Iran to deport a plane full of Iranian nationals, including people whose asylum claims of religious and political persecution have not yet been heard by an immigration judge. The New York Times reports a charter flight took off from Louisiana Monday evening with around 100 Iranian deportees on board, part of what an Iranian official called a deal to repatriate about 400 people. YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit. brought by President Trump and his political allies. Under the terms of the settlement, YouTube must pay $22 million to the nonprofit trust for the national mall, which would help fund the

construction of the White House State Ballroom. The rest of the money slated for Trump's supporters, including the author Naomi Wolf. Back in 2021, Trump's suit alphabet, the parent company of YouTube and Google, along with Meta and Twitter, which is now known as X, after they suspended Trump's accounts following the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Metanex had settled with Trump earlier this year. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has fired two lawyers who sounded the alarm over the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle civil rights enforcement in housing. Paul Ossedeby and Palmer Heenan were fired from HUD's Office of Fair Housing

after filing a whistleblower complaint with Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren. President Trump on Monday threatened to cut off all federal aid to New York City if Democratic mayoral candidate, Zohan Mandani, wins in November. On his social media platform, truth social, Trump wrote, quote, remember, he needs the money from me as president in order to fulfill all of his fake communist promises. He won't be getting any of it. So what's the point of voting for him, Trump wrote? To see our interview with Zoran Mamdani this week, including our most recent, visit our website, Democracy Now.org. The Trump administration announced plans Monday to allocate 13.1 million acres of public land to coal mining and to provide $625 million for coal-fired power plants.

This despite the fact that coal fueled only about 15% of U.S. electricity last year, with wind and solar providing more electricity, according to the International Energy Agency. Amanda Levin, director of policy analysis at the Natural Resources Defense Council. said, quote, the Trump administration's hell-bent on supporting the oldest, dirtiest energy source. It's handing our hard-earned tax dollars over to the owners of coal plants that cost more to run than new clean energy, unquote. This comes as the Energy Department reportedly added climate change, green, and decarbonization to its, quote, list of words to avoid, unquote, at its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Open A.I. is planning to build five new data centers in the U.S. with the help of SoftBank and Oracle, which is headed by billionaire and Trump ally Larry Ellison. The data centers are part of Open AI's Stargate Initiative, which would bring the project's current planned capacity to nearly seven gigawatts, the equivalent of seven large-scale nuclear reactors. One of the sites in Senator Rosa, New Mexico, would require about 10 million gallons of water. And Senator Bernie Sanders has released a report showing the prices of nearly 700 prescription drugs have increased despite a pledge by President Trump to lower them.

Back in July, Trump signed an executive order to lower prescription drug prices and sent letters to 17 pharmaceutical companies giving them 60 days to act. But Senator Sanders found drug prices have increased under Trump. For example, the drug galsin has increased more than 15-fold in price from 55. $400 per year to $88,800,800 per year. According to Senator Sanders report, quote, 87 drugs increased in price after Trump sent letters to drug manufacturers, unquote. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now. Democracy Now.org, the war and peace report. I'm Amy Goodman in New York with Democracy Now is Juan Gonzalez in Chicago.

Hi, Juan. Hi, Amy, and welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world. During a White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to end Israel's war on Gaza, free Israeli hostages, and remove Hamas from power. On Monday, Netanyahu expressed support for the deal, but he's already backed away from key elements. Hamas has not responded yet to the deal.

The Palestinian Authority and several Arab countries, have expressed support for Trump's proposal. As part of his 20-point peace plan, Trump announced the establishment of an international transitional governing body. The success of this effort, my plan calls for the creation of a new international oversight body, the Board of Peace, we call it,

the Board of Peace, sort of a beautiful name, the Board of Peace, which will be headed, not at my request, believe me. I'm very busy, but we have to make sure this works. The leaders of the Arab world and Israel and everybody involved asked me to do this. So we'll be headed by a gentleman known as President Donald J. Trump of the United States. And we're going to put leaders from other countries on and leaders that are very distinguished leaders. And we'll have a board.

And one of the people that wants to be on the board is the U.K. former prime minister, Tony Blair, good man, very good. man. Hamas and other terrorist factions will play no role in the board, but they'll play no role in the governance of Gaza at all, directly or indirectly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke after President Trump. I support your plan to end the war in Gaza, which achieves our war aims. It will bring back to Israel. hostages, dismantle Hamas's military capabilities, and its political rule, and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.

Trump's plan outlined steps that could lead to a, quote, credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, unquote. But after the meeting, Netanyahu said he would, quote, forcibly resist, unquote, Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu has also rejected the plans call for Israel to eventually pull its troops fully out of Gaza. The two men ultimately refused not to take questions, refused to take questions after their joint statements yesterday at the White House. We're joined right now by Deanna Boutu, a Palestinian human rights attorney, former advisor to the negotiating team of the Palestine Liberation Organization speaking to us from Ramallah. Thanks so much for being with us, Deanna. Can you respond to what has been put forward

and President Trump being the head of this, what they're calling a Board of Peace, with Tony Blair, one of the key players in this, the former British Prime Minister. Well, this is, this plan that is, that has been put forward is certainly not a plan that is going to end the genocide. What they're simply attempting to do is repackage it. And the reason that I say this is that what Israel wants is to be able to get the Israelis back, but there is no guarantee whatsoever that they're going to stop the killing of Palestinians in any way, shape, or form. Instead, what we see is that this is a plan in which Israel will continue to have the

ability to continue to attack Palestinians, to continue to take over Palestinian land, to continue to attack Palestinian hospitals, schools, and so on with absolutely no oversight and no accountability internationally or otherwise. And the idea that this is being called a peace plan is not only a farce, but is an insult to anybody who actually believes in peace. And, the proposals talk about the creation of an international stabilization force that would take over from the Israeli military, the security of, Gaza, but no clear sense of how this force would be created and who the United States would

apparently control it. Could you talk about that as well? Yes, certainly. This plan is actually very, very, very vague. And one of the things that comes out of it is that to me it looks as though it's an Israeli plan that has been repackaged as being an American plan. And I say this because there were no Palestinians who were consulted in the creation of this plan. In fact, it was just Trump who discussed it with Arab leaders and then Trump discussing it with Netanyahu. He didn't meet with the Palestinian president. In fact, he didn't even allow him to travel to the United States for the UN General Assembly meeting. And so there's nothing in there where there's any form of Palestinian agency. So they talk about some sort of international force, but it's not

at all clear, but more than that, when they're talking about the plan calls for the Israelis to withdraw in stages. But again, at no point is there any guarantee that the Israelis will actually withdraw. All of the guarantees that are mentioned in this document are guarantees that are given to Israel. There's not a single guarantee that is given to Palestinians. So once again, rather than this being a document that is leading to the end of Israel's genocide, it's actually just a repackaging of it. And so this is my fear, is that everybody wants to see an end to this genocide. And this is why you see so many people who have said that they welcome this plan.

But the part two of this plan is the part where it is terrifying, where we're going to see that rather than they're being Palestinian agency, Instead, the very people who have carried out this genocide, the very very people who have funded this genocide, are going to be the ones who are going to be in charge of Palestinian lives. And that's America and the United States. Also, the proposal supposedly recognizes, quote, the aspirations of the Palestinian people for their own independent state.

But as it's been made clear by Netanyahu, who he will oppose that. So how do you accept a plan, but at the same time reject the key aspect of what the entire struggle of the Palestinian people has been for? This is why this is an Israeli proposal that has just been repackaged as into an American one. And so he's made it clear that he never wants to see a Palestinian state. He said this for decades. I just don't know why people don't believe him. And now he said it very clearly. And the Americans have also said it very clearly that they're not going to say. a Palestinian state either. Once again, we're seeing what we're seeing is that the Americans and

the Israelis, the two parties that have been involved in carrying out this genocide, are going to be the people who are going to rule over the lives of the people over whom they've committed this genocide. And that is a recipe for disaster. I don't know why this is where the world has allowed this to stand. Why is it that Palestinians have been forced to negotiate an end to their genocide. This doesn't make any sense. Can you talk about the role of the Arab countries, the Gulf countries? You have Netanyahu, apparently, with President Trump,

calling the Prime Minister of Qatar and apologizing for bombing Doha, for violating its sovereignty, and killing, well, they were something like six people killed, but apologizing for killing the Quddery security. officer. And then Trump now announcing that there's a deal being made between Israel, Qatar, and the United States, what that is. And of course, it's in Qatar where the Hamas officials apparently are going to weigh, apparently as early as today, this deal. The last time they were weighing a U.S. deal, Israel bombed them, though didn't kill the major figures there.

Yes. So this apology was hardly an apology. The fact that it took President Trump to get Netanyahu to make a half-hearted apology. And I think that one of the reasons that Netanyahu didn't take any questions yesterday was because he didn't want to answer the question of whether he indeed apologized to Kaltar. But it's not just a question of an apology. This isn't the first time that Israel has violated the territorial integrity of a country. Israel has been bombing Lebanon. it's been bombing Syria. It has been bombing Yemen. It has been bombing Tunisia. And it has been bombing Iran and of course, Al-Qaeda as well. And so the fact that Israel's been allowed to get away with it is the part that is the most disturbing. This is the whole point of the international legal system is that there should be methods to hold Israel to account. But once again, we see that the United States is giving cover to Israel. And this time, it's not just giving cover.

to it, but you see that it's giving cover to it in such a way that it's just simply an apology, and that's it. As the Israeli blockade of Gaza continues, we're going now to get an update on the nearly 50-boat flotilla, currently some 150 nautical miles from Gaza. One of those on board the global Samud flotilla is in Kozi Zuella Vandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, the global icon for the struggle against apartheid, who became South Africa's first democratically elected president after he was freed from prison for almost three decades. Mandela joins us now from the boat. Welcome to Democracy Now. Can you talk about where you are

and why you're on this global Samud flotilla? to everyone. We are currently on the Mediterranean Sea and have entered the yellow zone, which in the next 20 hours we should be entering the red zone, where many of the flotillas previously have been intercepted, abducted by the Israeli forces. We as the delegation from South Africa, he joined the global Sumud Flotilla from the southern tip of Africa, going to the northern tip of Africa in Tunisia because we wanted to come together, united as Africans, to sail under one mission with the other participants who had sailed from Barcelona.

But for us, this global Sumit Fultila is about the unity of Africans, but also the global south coming together with the global north in standing and showing its solidarity towards the Palestinian cause we are therefore in the Mediterranean

sea with about 50 boats that are sailing to Gaza in a means to break the blockade and end the siege that has been ongoing for the past 17 years And Mandela Mandela, could you talk about the unprecedented attacks of the Israeli government on this flotilla, the various drones that it's unleashed against some of the boats?

Well, it has been clear that the apartheid state of Israel is not only a threat to Palestinians, but is a threat to the region and to the entire global community. We have seen them attacking Yemen, attacking Lebanon, Syria, Iran, and of late, we saw them attack Qatar, including the global smooth flotilla, whilst it was in Tunisia, therefore violating the sovereignty of Tunisia. But we were also subjected to drone attacks, where several of our ships, particularly the sailing, ships were damaged and have not been able to continue with the rest of the journey. But this was an attempt by the apartheid state of Israel to instill fear amongst our participants and break our morale. But they've simply united us and brought us closer together. We are more than ever determined to get the humanitarian aid. That is much needed by our brothers and sisters in Gaza.

A number of people around the world call Israel an apartheid state. But it has particular meaning, Mandela Mandela, when you say it, from South Africa. Your grandfather, of course, Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected president of South African imprisoned for so long. Your country, South Africa, has brought the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. Can you talk about what this means to you and what it means to South Africa that you've got a delegation of South Africans on board? And what are you bringing to Gaza? Do you expect to actually land the previous flotillas were prevented from landing by. by Israel. And also, did the Italian ship from the Italian Navy come out to, I guess they said,

save people, protect people? Well, we, so far as the delegation from South Africa, draw our lessons from our previous experiences, many of South Africans that have been to the occupied territories in the West Bank, including those that have gone to Gaza, have come back with one conclusion that the Palestinians are experiencing a far worse form of apartheid than we ever experienced. And the last two years have been an indication of what truly is being experienced in Gaza, in particular. The genocide and ethnic cleansing that we have witnessed,

has been horrific and a shock to the entire global community. But many of us have been able to arise and utilize our voices. We as South Africans knowing very well that we 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. And this is why today we utilize our voice to support the oppressed and most vulnerable nations across the globe. And in this regard, we are determined in being part of this global Sumut Flotilla

to ensure that we mobilize the global community, just as they supported us to support the Palestinian cause, we have seen the tide turning with every major protest and marches in every city and every town across the globe is an indication that the tide has turned in favor of the Palestinian struggle. More than ever, we are a setting

that we will be able to get to the shores of Gaza. This is the largest flotilla ever witnessed historically. So in any maritime mission, this is the largest flotilla that has been ever seen. But again, we have a humanitarian mission, a non-violent mission that is now supported and protected by the Navy that has been provided, particularly from Italy, Spain. and yesterday we had the Turkish naval ships come on as well, providing the much-needed humanitarian aid. And we continue to call on governments to do their work.

If governments remain silent, we the people will not. I wanted to ask you also, during the UN General Assembly, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, when he was in New York, called for an international force to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza. As a legislator in South Africa, would you support your governments joining such an international force or propose it? Well, we must first understand that the self-defense and self-determination for the Palestinians is enshrined in international law. and in this regard, as governments across the globe begin recognizing Palestine as a sovereign state,

they should also protect the rights of that sovereignty. In this regard, the president of Colombia is within international law to ensure that a peacekeeping mission is deployed in Gaza to end the genocide and the citizens. ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. So we do continue as a civil society to exact pressure on our representatives in parliaments to ensure that their governments are able to have an arms embargo against the apartheid state of Israel.

But more importantly, what will effectively ensure that the genocide is brought to an end is to deploy a military intervention so that we can be able to bring about everlasting peace in Gaza. And Cozy isuela Velile Mandela, Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, speaking to us from the Mediterranean Sea, part of the Global Samud Flotilla,

a former member of the South African Parliament. And Di Anabutu, 30, seconds on your response to the significance of this flotilla and how much attention it's getting where you are in Occupied West Bank, Ramallah, not to mention Gaza. The significance of it is huge because for the first time we're seeing that mainstream media is now starting to follow this flotilla. But beyond that, it's actually lifting up the spirits of those in Gaza who have seen and feel. that the world has abandoned them.

And now we see that there are some nearly 50 ships, people from around the world are saying and challenging this siege and saying that the people of Gaza are not forgotten. This blockade will be challenged and that they are standing in solidarity with everybody from Gaza. We're seeing messages from the people of Gaza

welcoming this Samut flotilla. And so the significance of it cannot be. cannot be overstated. De Anabutu, Palestinian human rights attorney, former advisor to the negotiating team of the Palestine Liberation Organization speaking to us from Ramallah and the occupied West Bank. When we come back, the U.S. government appears to be headed to a shutdown tonight. Stay with us. It's Christmas time in Washington.

Democrats rehearse. Getting in gear. For four more years of things not getting worse. Republicans drank whiskey and eat. Thank their lucky stars. They said, cannot seek another term. There'll be no more FDRs. I say home in Tennessee,

Staring at the screen, an uneasy feeling in my chest, wondering what it means. So come back. Steve Earl, performing in our Democracy Now studio. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez. The U.S. government appears to be headed to a shutdown at midnight

after President Trump and Democratic leaders failed to reach an agreement Monday on a spending bill. Vice President J.D. Vand spoke to reporters after the White House meeting. I think we're headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won't do the right thing. I hope they change their mind. Democrats are looking to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act and reverse cuts to Medicaid and other health care programs that were implemented by the tax and spending bill passed earlier this year. Here's House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. They're telling the American people what they're. all about. Largest cut to Medicaid in American history, ripping food from the mouths of

hungry children, hungry seniors, and hungry veterans, and they did all of that to reward their billionaire donors with massive tax breaks. That's what Republicans have been all about in terms of governing this year. And we're not down with any of that. For more, we're joined by David Gahan, executive editor of the American Prospect. His new piece, the government's been shut down for months. David, welcome back to Democracy Now. If you can just explain what's going down right now and if you think the shutdown will happen at midnight and what it all means. I mean, it seems pretty clear that the shutdown is going to happen at midnight. And we've had a situation in the last several months where hundreds of billions of dollars has been withheld from thousands of

programs all over the country. About 12% of the federal workforce has been fired. The president is all too happy to fund programs he likes and defund programs he doesn't like. And 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. And David, what about the possibility that the Trump administration has held out that if there is a shutdown, it will proceed then to lay off permanently more federal workers? This is laughable. I mean, they've already laid off a number of federal workers. They've attempted reductions in force all across the federal government. Federal courts have said they have no legitimacy or legality to do that. That's just as

true in a government shutdown as it is not in a government shutdown. The lifeline of the Supreme Court allowing them to move forward with some of these plans would still be in evidence. So it's hard to say what's legal or legitimate at all in this country anymore. But there's no additional authority to do mass layoffs that is conferred by a government shutdown. If Russ fought wants to fire a bunch of people, he's probably going to do it. And he's just using the shutdown as a fig leaf in an attempt to intimidate Democrats to following through on Republican demands. David, can you explain what the Democrats are asking for when it comes to the

Obamacare and also reversing Medicaid cuts? How many millions of Americans are going to experience the loss of insurance and health care or the reduction of it or being increased in cost? Yeah, it's a lot. They want to extend subsidies that were enhanced. originally under the American Rescue Plan for the Affordable Care Act exchanges. If those expire at the end of the year and if they are not moved forward, you'll see an increase in premiums of about 75% at least on average.

You're talking about probably 4 million people losing their health insurance coverage. The Medicaid cuts would be another something like 10 million people who would be losing their coverage. So it's a big deal. The other part that Democrats are asking for is the idea that if they pass a budget resolution, that everything in that resolution actually gets spent. It's folly to continue to make a deal with someone that tells you they're not going to honor the deal. And that is what has been happening with respect to Donald Trump over the last several months. And so there are some safeguards in place in the Democratic counteroffer to say, you can't rescind spending that we appropriate. You can't impound spending that the government has said is supposed to be spent.

Well, given those democratic demands, we've had so many of these budget. shut down crises in the past. How do you see this being resolved? And what would be the makings of an agreement that would be able to come out? And how long do you think this might last? Well, it's probably going to be protracted. The last time there was a shutdown when Donald Trump was the president, it lasted 35 days. That was the longest shutdown in American history.

I see no reason why this wouldn't go. at least to those lengths. The two sides seem to be very far apart. Republicans just want to sort of pound Democrats into submission on this and offer them really nothing, while Democrats are asking to prevent the loss of health care for 15 million people and an actual honoring of whatever budget agreement is made. So it's hard to see where we go from here.

Typically, you see that in shutdowns, the party that's asking for something usually doesn't get it, frankly. However, polling has shown that Republicans are being blamed for this shutdown. And that's also been true throughout history, whether Republicans were in charge of the presidency or not. So it's a bit unclear to me how the politics are going to play out. But I think what's clear is that we're now in a position where people are paying attention to the real crisis that has been going on with government funding over the last several months. And hopefully people will understand who is responsible for that. Finally, David Day, and as we speak, hundreds of admirals and generals have been called in from all over the world for this unprecedented what some are calling a MAGA rally at Quantico called by. Defense Secretary Hegseth that now apparently Trump is going to address.

I don't know if they got round-trip tickets, but if they didn't, will they be able to go back home, number one? But most importantly, we're moving into a segment now on ICE and the Federalizing National Guard. Will this mean that ICE gets less money, that Trump will not be able to use them as freely these agents to move into cities? No, the way that shutdown's work is so-called essential personnel are allowed to continue with their job, whether they're paid or not, then they get back pay when the shutdown is resolved. So the president has some latitude to allow essential work to continue to be performed. And obviously, this president is going to say that the continued abduction of people from American streets is, is,

essential. So I don't see any let up there, or with the Department of Defense, quite frankly, which is using the money that they got in the reconciliation agreement as a kind of slush fund. There was $150 billion of a top off, and that money is likely to be used to cover whatever expenses are needed during the shutdown. David Dayan, want to thank you for being with us. Executive editor of the American prospect will link to your piece. The government has been shut down for months. Next up to President Trump's threat to send federal troops to Portland, Oregon, and his request for a hundred troops to be deployed to Chicago amidst a widening immigration crackdown.

Back in 20 seconds. Living is easy with eyes closed. Misunderstanding all we see. It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out. It doesn't matter much to me. Let me get back to where I'm going. Strawberry feels.

Nothing is real. And nothing is to think. Campo's of a preza for always. No one I think is in much. I mean I must be high or low.

That is, you know, you can't tune in, but it's all right. That is, I think it's not too bad. La Santa Cecilia, performing a rendition of strawberry fields forever in our Democracy Now studio. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman here in New York with Juan Gonzalez and Chicago. as we turn to Oregon and Chicago. In Oregon, President Trump has ordered the deployment of 200 members of the Oregon National Guard. Trump wrote on social media, the troops are necessary to, quote, protect war-ravaged Portland

and any of our ice facilities under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists, the president said. He went on, I am also authorizing full force, if necessary, unquote. Oregon governor, Tina Kotech, denounced Trump. There is no insurrection, there is no threat to national security, and there is no need for military troops in our major city. We do not need or want federal troops in Oregon, stoking fear, creating conflict, and frankly escalating a situation that is under control.

Any, any federal takeover with military troops in our state is a threat. to communities across Oregon. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and the city of Portland have filed a temporary restraining order against Trump's move to send in troops. For more, we're joined in Portland by Sandy Chung, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon. Welcome to Democracy Now, Sandy. Explain what's taking place at this moment. Talk about the troops and Oregon's response.

Thank you, Amy. Good morning. Currently, troops are not in Portland or in Oregon, and on behalf of Oregonians, I want to be very clear before troops arrive. President Trump, we do not need and we do not want federal troops on the streets of Portland or in any other city or town in Oregon. If the president does proceed with sending in the military, he will be abusing his presidential powers. he will be disrespecting and misusing our military and service members, and he will be wasting valuable taxpayer dollars. There is nothing going on right now in Portland or any part of Oregon

that requires him to send in the federal military, especially after our governor and our local elected leaders, including Mayor Wilson of Portland, Oregon, has objected and said there's nothing here that requires federal troops. And Sandy, I wanted to ask you, this president has routinely lied and misrepresented reality to justify these extreme actions of the federal government. What is your sense of how many organizations in the media are reporting these allegations of the president? Yes. what I can tell you is the president seems to be focusing on the ICE office, which is in a part of

downtown Portland. It's a couple miles from our offices. I was actually there on Sunday. On Sunday, there were a couple rallies in Portland by everyday people who came out to say, President Trump, please do not send them the military because we do not want it and we do not need it. What I can tell you is there have been some protesters outside the ICE office. Those protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful. And there have been images of protests going around, including from 2020, but also from now that do not accurately reflect what's going on. Oftentimes, the images that people across the country are seeing and potentially the president's seeing do not provide the full context. They do not show the calm situation outside the office where during weekdays,

people or volunteers are outside the ICE office providing know-your-rights information to immigrants and refugees who have appointments at the office. They don't show the members of the clergy of many different faiths and backgrounds who are there raising their voices against injustice. These images oftentimes also don't show the full context of federal office at the ice building, oftentimes coming out without any apparent reason to physically attack protesters, to use pepper spray against them, and to tear gas them. And in fact, even Portland police officers have stated on the record that they have seen federal officers at the ice building

coming out with no apparent reason to attack protesters. This week, President Trump told reporters in the White House on television, television, that on television, he'd watch, quote, paid terrorists destroy the city of Portland. This is what he said. They're walking and throwing smoke bombs into store. These are paid terrorists, okay? These are paid agitators. These are profession.

I watched that last time. I'm very good at this stuff. These are paid agitators. They get paid money by radical left groups, not radical right groups, radical left groups. And they get paid a lot of money. Sandy Chung, Executive Director of the ACLU of Oregon, please respond. Well, Amy, I want to point out that a couple of days ago, President Trump told the media that he had spoken to our governor,

Governor Kotech, and said he actually was a little bit confused and was questioning whether some of the images that he had seen accurately reflects what's going on in Portland. And so there is a question about whether President Trump's staff is actually giving him accurate information and images of what is going on. But I can reassure the president and people across America that right now there's nothing going on at the ice building that requires federal troops to be sent in.

The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful. It has generally been small numbers of people. And people have been at the ICE office because they have been justifiably upset by the cruel, chaotic, and unjust actions of ICE. Ice has taken our neighbors, who are beloved family members, who are cared for coworkers, respected business members. ICE has even detained an Oregonian who was a firefighter

and was literally in the midst of fighting a forest fire. So there are everyday people who have protested outside the ice building to tell the president, we strongly disagree with ICE detentions in Oregon and across the United States. Please change course. Sandy Chung, we want to thank you so much for being with us, executive director of the ACLU of Oregon speaking to us from Portland. We end today's show in Chicago, where Trump's Border Patrol chief, Gregory Bovino,

joined Border Patrol agents and tactical gear who roamed downtown streets and rode boats in the Chicago River. On Monday, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker condemned ICE's violent attacks and confirmed the so-called Department of War was seeking the deployment of 100 military troops to Illinois. 60 percent of the individuals that ICE has taken in Illinois this year have no criminal convictions of any kind. ICE is running around the loop harassing people for not being white. Just a year ago, that was illegal in the United States. Now, ICE is making it commonplace. For more, we're joined in Chicago by Christabel Cavassos, long-time community activists who's been volunteering with people's patrols of ICE.

He's co-founder of Immigrant Solidarity DuPage and Casa DuPage Workers Center. Welcome to Democracy Now. Christobal, explain what's taking place and how you are. or organize, and what these people's patrols of ice are? Good morning, Amy. It's really a pleasure to be here. So we're seeing a historic onslaught in Chicago, the killing of Silverio, Villegas Gonzalez. We're seeing at Broadview Detention Center, friends of mine who've been tear gassed, people being

thrown like pancakes, ice in the loop, ice going down the Chicago River on boats. it's really an attack on Chicago they're trying to break our spirit it was noted a few months ago by Tom Holman that you know Chicago your rights and your rights and your rights and it's true we've been in Chicago organizations like Casa DuPage educating people doing workshops

doing community patrols doing rapid response so Chicago has been you know we're the city of big shoulders but we're showing we're the city of a big struggle too The People's Patrol, we have people all over Chicago land. It's been a really beautiful mobilization. How can I help? You know, what can I do right now in the face of ice?

What can I do with the attacks? Cities like Elgin, Illinois, our dear brothers and sisters, have been attacked almost every single day. And we are really mobilizing people. There are men, women, people from the Anglo community, African American community, Asian brothers and sisters coming out and giving half an hour, an hour every single day, patrolling our neighborhoods, giving out know-your-rights cards, talking to people in

Mexican stores, Mexican lavendaria, you know, Chicago's a very Mexican town, making these contexts, but at the same time creating these networks of protection, these networks of resistance, and in the face of ice, you know, we have ice in places like

Elgin and Joliet and Aurora, but being chased by three or four cars. Ice, I ran into ICE two weeks ago. Three of our protesters protesting ICE shouting at them, ice left. They don't like this. And now I don't think it's a coincidence. They're trying to send in a hundred federal troops to protect ICE. But I think, you know, we're having a historic attack right now as we see, but there's also historic fight back. And Cristobar, I wanted to ask you. You mentioned you're in DuPage County, but the vast

majority of the Latino and immigrant population of Chicago land is not in the city. It's in places like you mentioned Aurora, Waukegan, Elgin, Cicero, these are all majority Latino cities. What has been the nature of the organizing in these areas outside of Chicago? Yeah, that's exactly right, Emano. It's good to hear your voice, Juan. Yeah, you know, Chicago, a lot of people forget Chicago. We're right up they're in food production, beverage production, and it's our people that, you know, my parents were

migrant workers, the food in Chicago, the beverages in Chicago. So a lot of their production is in places like Elgin, Bartlett, Elcro Village, Illinois. So we have a lot of workers. Ironically, workers that, you know, five years ago, essential workers, you know, factories giving them, you know, lauding them and thanking them. And now these so-called essential workers are illegal workers, so it really makes no sense. So we're trying to go in there in these factories, putting safety committees, you know, having a sticker on the door that ICE cannot come in without a judicial warrant. As we're seeing in Chicago, they rarely have judicial warrants. That's why they're trying to do this war of terror, you know, going out there and just giving, going on

Michigan Avenue and trying to freak people out and instill this paranoia. But we as organizers, you know, we're trying to keep that strength. We're trying to keep that solidarity. So we're doing factory committees for safety. We're patrolling outside of these factories. West Chicago, which is a town that's close to where we organize, people are actually doing patrols where they stand outside apartment buildings. They'll be there for hours every day until midnight, one or two o'clock in the morning,

patrolling these apartment buildings. And if ICE is there, immediately intervening, immediately getting, you know, doing a protest, letting people know. So we're really doing some historic mobilization here in Chicago, and we're super proud, but we know we're in the thick of it right now. And, you know, the key word here is resistance. And we only have about less than a minute left, but the Trump's threats to send the federal troops to Chicago, he's continued to back down and back down. Now he's talking about 100 troops. What is your sense of how Chicago would respond if federal troops are sent in? Yeah, I think, you know, Trump has really done a propaganda war.

He's just trying to freak us out. A hundred troops, I mean, there are, you know, three million people in Chicago. There are hundreds of thousands of people in the Latino community. So we, he's trying to scare us. He's trying to build a lot of fear in the community. It is to stop us from fighting back. But, you know, frankly, it's not going to work. We're going to go out there.

I know he's sending these troops because, you know, we routinely in Chicago have ICE agents surrounded by protesters. We're shouting them out. We're calling them out. We have congresspeople, aldermans in Chicago that are standing up to ice. So he's going to send in these troops. But I think as all of the attacks in Chicago have done, it's had an opposite effect. And that it's stimulating the movement.

It's stimulating. There's going to be a protest today at five, at Trump Tower. And we're not going to back down. Krista Balcavasos, want to thank you for being with us. People's Patrol volunteer in Chicago. Thank you very much for being there. Tomorrow we'll speak with Chicago's mayor. Coming up this weekend, I'll be speaking Saturday, October 4th at the Roxy Theater in San Francisco,

doing the Q&A after the JFI's special documentary screening of Steal the Story, Please, a new documentary about democracy now. That's at 4 o'clock on Saturday. And on Sunday, I'll be at Banffa in Berkeley for another screening and Q&A. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez.