Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2026-03-20 Friday

Episode Date: March 20, 2026

Democracy Now! Friday, March 20, 2026

From New York, this is Democracy Now. In my mind, when people say, why didn't you, why didn't you leave? Why didn't you tell people, well, this is why? Because I felt that my coming out and saying would have hurt the movement. A major investigation by the New York Times has revealed the late civil rights icon and farm worker organizer, Cesar Chavez, repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped women and girls as young as 12 and groom them from even younger. The Latina civil rights pioneer, Dolores Huerta, has revealed Chavez raped her in the 1960s. Together, the two co-founded the United Farm Workers will air excerpts

of Dolores Werta's interview. She was interviewed by Latina U.S. U.S. USA host Maria Inhosa, and will speak to Maria about that conversation. Then to Lebanon. The night of the strike, the Israelis called and said we had to leave the house. So we talked to the army, and they said there was no other way. We had to leave. We left, and 15 minutes later, the army called us and said the house was gone. We arrived in Beirut at 11.30 p.m. and we didn't find anyone.

In Lebanon, the death toll from Israeli strikes has topped 1,000. There's more than a million people are displaced amid spheres of an all-out invasion of the south of Lebanon. We'll go to Beirut for the latest. Then the world is on fire. Gas prices are rising. Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote. We'll look at President Trump's push for the SAVE Act. which could disenfranchise millions of voters.

All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the Warrant Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. The Pentagon's launched an offensive aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with low-flying jets and helicopter gunships patrolling the waterway for Iranian ships in one-way attack drones. The offensive got underway as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps published video appearing to show a U.S. F-35.

stealth fighter jet being struck over Iranian airspace. The Pentagon said one of its $100 million stealth fighters have been forced to make an emergency landing at a U.S. airbase in the Middle East. On Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the Pentagon is asked for $200 billion in additional funding for the war in Iran. As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move, obviously. it takes money to kill bad guys. Iran's foreign minister warned Thursday his nation would show zero restraint if the U.S. or Israel attacks oil or gas infrastructure again.

The warning followed Israel's bombing of the South Pars oil field home to the largest proven reserves of natural gas in the world. And Iran's retaliatory strikes on fossil fuel infrastructure across the Gulf. On Thursday, Qatar Energy's CEO said Iran's attacks on Raslafen and other fossil fuel sites have knocked out 17% of Qatar's liquefied natural gas export capacity for up to five years, causing an estimated $20 billion in lost revenue each year while cutting off energy supplies to Europe and Asia. In Washington, Treasury Secretary Scott Besson said that Trump administration will remove sanctions on Iranian oil to lower surging. prices, which some analysts predict could top $150 or even $200 per barrel if the war continues. Meanwhile, Iran's attacks have halted exports of helium from Qatar, which before the war provided more than one-third of global supply. Helium's critical for a range of industries, including semiconductor manufacturing fiber optics, medical devices, including MRIs, and scientific

research. In Lebanon, there were reports of heavy fighting between. Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers backed by air and artillery fire as Israel pushes ahead with a ground invasion. Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continue to rain down on cities across Lebanon, where health officials report more than 1,000 people have been killed since early March. At least 40 medical workers are among the dead. Israel is also targeting journalists and their families. This week, Israel bombed the home of Lebanese journalist Mohamed Sheri, killing him and his wife and injuring his children and grandchildren.

Press freedom groups condemn the attack as a war crime. In a separate strike, Israel bombed RT journalist Steve Sweeney and a camera operator as Sweeney was reporting while wearing a vest clearly marked press. The attack left both men hospitalized. Further rocket attacks were reported against Naharia and admit it. In Gaza, Israeli authorities have reopened the Rafa border crossing into Egypt for small numbers of Palestinians to seek medical care abroad. On Thursday, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported just eight Palestinians were allowed to cross, along with family members. Red Crescent official, Raid El Nams, says that's just a tiny fraction of the thousands of Palestinians who cannot get the medical care they need inside the Gaza Strip due to Israel's blockade and attacks on hospitals.

medical infrastructure. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, there are around 18,000 patients and injured whose conditions are classified as critical and for whom life-saving services are unavailable in the Gaza Strip. We hope that the efforts made in this regard will lead to an increase in the numbers so that the largest possible number of patients can be evacuated outside the Gaza Strip. In Israel, demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv Thursday, for a protest. demanding an end to Israel's attacks on Iran and Lebanon, as millions of Israelis are forced to

seek shelter daily from rockets, missiles, and drones. At least 18 Israelis have been killed over 3,000 wounded just three weeks into the war. This is protester Tsipi Hatofsky. They're not telling us what the goals are the war. They're not telling us how long it's going to take. And what's happening is that Israelis are in the millions, are in shelters at the moment, and we don't see the end of it. We're fed up. We've been in a state of war for over two and a half years. We're fed up with it. It has to stop. President Trump joked about Pearl Harbor during a White House meeting Thursday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanai Takachi. The awkward moment came as Trump responded to a Japanese journalist question about why the U.S. did not inform its allies

in Europe and Asia before joining Israel in a war in Iran. Well, one thing you don't want to signal too much, you know, when we go in, we went in very hard, and we didn't tell anybody about it because we wanted surprise. Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Okay. Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbor? Prime Minister Takachi appeared visibly uncomfortable leaning back in her seat. A 19-year-old teenager from Mexico has died of an apparent suicide while jailed at the ice glacial. County Detention Center in South Florida.

Warrior Perez Jimenez is the youngest person to die in ICE custody since Trump returned to office and at least the 13th reported ICE deaths since the beginning of this year. Police reportedly arrested Perez Jimenez in January while he was riding a scooter. Immigrants detained at Glades County have long described inhumane conditions, including being subjected to verbal and sexual abuse. In more immigration news, Stephanie Rodriguez, a local Nashville journalist in Tennessee, has been released from ICE custody on a $10,000 bond. She's a reporter from Columbia with the news outlet Nashville Noticius.

This has lived in the U.S. since 2021 with a tourist visa and work permit and is pending green card and asylum applications. She's also married to a U.S. citizen. Here in New York, a high school student has been released from a Pennsylvania ice jail after nearly a year in custody. 21-year-old Dylan Lopez-Contreras was a freshman at a Bronx high school when he was taken by federal agents. He and his family are asylum seekers from Venezuela. Dylan spoke at a rally, welcomed him back in New York yesterday.

As I've told you, it's super ugly to be in there. I've really seen all kinds of people who don't. We don't deserve to be there. and I still want to keep fighting for them, which is what we have to do. Several elected officials attended the gathering, including New York Governor Kathy Hokel and New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani. It is a city that does not stand for our children being snatched from their home. It is a city that does not stand for high school students being taken away from the life that they should have. And as Dylan has reminded us, this is but a glimpse into something that is affecting so many across this city, across this state, and across this country.

And we will not rest until every single person is where they deserve to be. In related news, an immigration judge has denied five-year-old Liam Konejo Ramos and his family asylum in the United States. The family's legal team plans to appeal. If they lose, Liam and his family could be deported to their home country of Ecuador. Liam and his dad were detained in a suburb of Minneapolis earlier this year. Images of Liam went viral after he was picked up by federal agents while still wearing his Spider-Man backpack and a blue hat with bunny ears. They were released from the Dilley Ice Family Detention Center, the Dilley Jail in Texas in February, after a nationwide campaign led in part by Congress member Joaquin Castro, who escorted them back to Minnesota. In Colorado, nearly 4,000 meatpacking workers have entered their fifth day on strike to protest unfair and dangerous labor conditions at JBS USA, the world's largest meat producer.

Unionized workers at the slaughterhouse and beef processing plant in the city of Greeley walked off the job Monday, marking the largest strike in the U.S. meatpacking industry in four decades. Many of the workers are immigrants. This is UFCW Local 7 President Kim Cordova. There's 50 languages spoken at this plant. And where JBS thinks that they can hire a vulnerable workforce, they do that by design hoping that workers can't talk to each other about wages and benefits or working conditions. They're hoping that we have a division in the plant, but they underestimated their workers. The workers are smart. They're strong. They're hard work. And they deserve dignity and they deserve respect. And as the college basketball tournament known as March Madness begins, immigration activists are calling on schools to de-ice the charter flights used to ferry around student athletes.

The campaign is targeting the Miami-based charter company Global Crossing Airlines, or GlobalX, which holds a $5 million annual contract to transport teams during the NCAA tournaments. Global X is also used to transport immigrants deported by ICE. Here's an excerpt of a video from the de-ice these flights campaign. In 2025, Global X flew more than 1,700 deportation flights for ice, while earning more than $246 million. And it's the same airline teams have flown for March Madness. When schools fly Global X, they're feeding a system that supports deportation. Athletes one day, deportation routes the next.

It's the business model, profit by abusing people. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now, DemocracyNow.org, the Warren Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. Fallouts continuing to grow after a New York Times expanse, reveal the late civil rights icon and farm worker organizer, Cesar Chavez, abused and raped multiple women and girls, over the course of decades. Chavez has long been one of the most celebrated Chicano figures in American history,

co-founder the United Farm Workers and let historic strikes, including the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott. President Clinton awarded Chavez the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994 one year after his death. Countless schools and streets have been named after him. Cesar Chavez Day is celebrated annually on March 31st, his birthday. but his legacy is now being reconsidered following the damning New York Times Exposz. The Times piece focuses in part on Anna Moggia and Deborah Rojas. Morgia said Chavez first assaulted her when she was 13 and he was 45. Rojas said Chavez raped her when she was 15.

He first groped her when she was just 12. Both Murgia and Rojas were the daughters of longtime organizers in the movement. Dolores Huerta, who co-operator, who co-ed her, founded the United Farm Workers with Chavez, also revealed to the New York Times that she, too, had been raped by Chavez. She told the Times he coerced her into sex on one occasion in 1960 and raped her in 1966. Both encounters resulted in pregnancies, which were to conceal by wearing baggy clothes before arranging for other families to raise the girls. After the New York Times published its expasse to Loris Huerta, who is now 95 years old, spoke to Maria

in Ojosa, the Pulitzer Prize-winning host of Latino USA. In a moment, Maria will join us. But first, let's turn to a short excerpt of their conversation. Are you concerned that people will say, how is it possible that the brilliant Dolores Huerta, no se diogenes deo that she didn't realize? Are you concerned that you're going to have to answer that question? Well, I think that's pretty common. I think that women, when they do come forward with their stories, instead of getting the kind of support that they need to get attacked or they're not believed.

We've seen this happen throughout history. We'll just have to deal with that if it does happen. Hopefully, it won't. But if it does, we'll just have to deal with it. And the workers know that they are no longer alone. Dolores Huerta also spoke to Maria Najosa about her reaction to learning that Cesar Chavez had assaulted and raped young girls. I mean, this is just so devastating to think that somebody that we, everybody admired and respected and thought so highly of that he would, you know, do anything like that.

That was just very, really hard to take. And it's still very hard to process. I think not only for myself, but for everybody that knew and respected Sessa, volunteers, so many people had sacrificed, you know, to know that to know that he had that dark. of him. And I think that just speaks to the fact that, you know, we have, that there is a lack of respect for women and girls in our society and that this is so prevalent, you know, that, and, men get away with us all the time, and we know that's something that needs to, need to really be addressed in our society. That was Dolores Werta, speaking to Latino USA host, Marianna Josa, who's joining us now in studio.

Maria is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and founder of Futura Media. Thanks so much for being with us, Maria. This is so utterly painful at every single level. You had the first interview with Dolores, who is now in hiding? Well, we were asked not to reveal her location. She's not at home because as soon as the news broke, there were journalists there. so I don't even know where she is. So the New York Times worked on this story for five years,

and they didn't approach Dolores with the knowledge of what happened to Dolores, is that right? But to respond to what happened to the other girls and women. Right. Apparently, that's the way they approached her, was to talk about other situations, and then that's when she revealed that at least twice she had been assaulted by Caesar Chavez.

Both resulting in children. Yes. two girls. Dolores was very quick when I asked her, I said something like, you gave them away. She was like, I did not give them away. They are my daughters. So she was very quick to make it clear. I mean, Dolores has 11 children. She loves her kids. This is her always, she's talking about her kids. So she wanted to make it clear, like, these are my kids. Four of them with Caesar Chavez's brother, her longtime domestic partner. And actually, Amy, this is. is hard. I've interviewed Dolores on multiple occasions, right? And Dolores is a person who has,

I mean, you know her. She's got energy. She's always out until 4 a.m. She loves to go dancing. She loves jazz. And so to hear her in this kind of state of being broken was very, very difficult. She's not that kind of person. She's not weak. And she was like, I don't want to go on camera. Her people basically said she's been crying all day. This is when when the New York Times dropped the piece, she was reading it for the first time, like the rest of us. Let's go back to your exclusive interview with the civil rights icon Dolores Swerta,

who talks about her rape by Caesar Chavez. Well, in both cases, I felt like I was kind of trapped, you might say, and I was not expecting those incidents to happen. I felt I was alone. I didn't really have anybody close by that I could call for help or reached out to. And the way he set that up, it was to make sure that we were isolated pretty much, you know. So, I mean, that's pretty much what happened. It never would have happened in the first place if I had not had this great admiration for him.

And he was my employer. He was my boss, you know. Did you ever confront Caesar Chavez about his attacks on you? You know what? I never did. And I guess that's the one thing that I'm sorry about because God knows had I done that, maybe in some way it would have prevented other women and girls.

That's Delores Swerta. You're talking to her. Talk about this. And I am so moved. as you talk to DeLore Swerta, you reveal that you yourself was rape, Maria, when you were 16? Yeah, no, I've talked about my own rape because I'm a public persona. I've done the therapy. I have an amazing husband.

And so I'm like, I need to talk about this. But in that moment, Amy, because I've, again, I've known Dolores for a long time. So when I had to say to her, look, Dolores, you and I are now in the same boat. We are both survivors of rape. I mean, Dolores, I can only imagine, is. having such a difficult time. It took me a long time to understand that I had been raped when I was 16. So not only is Dolores realizing all of this, but, you know, she's seeing how quickly people are moving, as opposed to the Epstein files. She's seen how people are moving to paint over the murals,

cover the statues, change the names of streets, et cetera. And Dolores believes in the movement. So not only is she coming to terms with her own assaults, she's coming to terms with the fact that the movement and the person who she admired as part of the movement is essentially being covered up, disappeared. This is another clip of your exclusive interview with Laura Swerta. We're going to turn to it. When you asked her why she continued to stand by Cesar Chavez after he had raped her? Well, I think the only way that I can explain,

that is when we have to look at just see of all of the things that we accomplish for farm workers. You know, the fact that they have the basic human needs when they're working, you know, the things that they were deprived of, you know, the bathrooms, the drinking water, the rest periods, you know, to be treated as decent human beings out there in the fields. And we're talking about millions of farm workers. And I think my staying quiet and not revealing this, I don't know if that contributed or didn't contribute, but in my mind when people say,

why didn't you, why didn't you leave, why didn't you tell people, well, this is why? Because I felt that my coming out and saying would have hurt, would it hurt the movement. Maria Josa, continue with that train of thought. Who would she turn to the police who victimized them? The union which was fighting for so many people, even though he was the head of it and he was praying upon these girls and women,

the daughters of the other union leaders who would groom them from eight or nine years old and then rape them when they were 13, 14, 15. So what we do know, right, is that Caesar Chavez. was a very strategic thinker. That's why he was able to build a movement along with Dolores Wirta. He was very strategic. The horror, Amy, is to realize

that this man was also very strategic in how he was setting out to abuse girls, teens, and women. As Dolores says, he put her in the situation where she admires him, she idolizes him, and therefore she finds herself alone with him

because she trusted him. And that, I think, is really, really painful to realize is that he was being very strategic on how he went about this. Now, Dolores saying, you know, I had, I didn't see this. I, I can't believe that this was happening. When you are a survivor of rape, you know, you believe you're the only one, like in terms of the man who raped me, right? I'm like, well, I must have been the only one. That's how your mind works, right? You're like, oh, this person can't be out there doing this to everybody else. In fact, that's what's being revealed now. And whether or not other women will come forward, I think that's what we're waiting to see. Well, Delara Swerta

had a message for other survivors. I just want to say that I think the fact that the women's survivors who had this happen to them as they were girls, that they have had the courage to come out. And God knows, I really applaud them so much because I think their courage has given me the courage also to be able to come out. Because in many instances, they will want to blame the girls. Some people will try to blame me. You know, I think the DeLaurua Swerta Foundation and, interestingly, the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which says they support the survivors and they believe them, have set up back channels for

women to come forward. I mean, he died decades ago. we don't know how many people were victimized. Look, Dolores said one of the reasons why she didn't come forward, why women don't come forward, is because they know that they'll be questioned, they'll be attacked, you know, what did you do to make this happen?

Effectively, that's what's happening right now with Dolores. There are people who are saying, do not name the streets after Dolores Huerta, do not make statues after Dolores Huerta. She should have spoken up. She carries the burden of the weight of this. She's, you know, I've even heard other Latinas say she's responsible. And what I posted on my social media was that if you're not a rape survivor, you do not know how difficult it is to come forward.

This is exactly why. So, you know, that's sexual assault. It's not something that you kind of want to wave around and say, oh, my God, I'm a survivor. It's not something that you're proud of, as it were. Let's talk about Anna Morgia and Deborah Rosas, who it is so painful now in their 60s reveal what happened to them. In fact, isn't it Anna Morgia who is part of that famous protest poster of Cesar Chavez who is walking? Was this the Delano strike? Right, exactly.

She was 13 there. Right, and I believe that she's also the one who wrote the letter, a little letter to Caesar Chavez. Beautiful little girl writing. I mean, I used to write on that kind of stationary in the 1960s and 70s, and she writes this letter. And so people, again, will say, well, so she liked him. And you don't understand when you have somebody in power like this, that's what they do. And when you're 13 years old. And when you're 13 years old.

And it's Caesar Chavez. People were already looking up to him. I mean, he was a very important leader. But you can't expect little girls to come forward in this moment. So let's talk about what this means for the movement. I mean, marches, celebrations all over Texas and Arizona, California have been canceled around his birthday, March 31st. What this means going forward and renaming Caesar Chavez Day. I think Governor Hobbs in Arizona did this Farm Worker Day.

Right, also in California. You know, Amy, you have to think about how bad the situation was for the farm workers, for Dolores to say, I'm going to keep this secret. Like things are so bad for my community that I'm going to sacrifice myself and my silence. But then you look at what we're living through in 2026, not just in terms of Latino farm workers, but in terms of Latinos and Latinas in the entire United States coming under attack by this administration. So it's not a surprise that people choose silence. I mean, Latinos and Latinas are the fastest growing demographic group.

we are the fastest growing group of voters. We are, in fact, holding the future of democracy in our hands. So you cannot dismiss an entire movement. Yes, it was led by Caesar Chavez, but he did not march from Delano to Sacramento on his own. There were 10,000 people who ended up marching. And Dolores, hard for people to hear, right, because Dolores is all about the movement. And she says, you know, was, I asked her, was it worth it? to keep your silence? And she said, yes, because look at what we achieved. We did so much.

This is what Dolores is going to hold on to. Let's go to Dolores, speaking to you about the legacy of the United Farm Workers, the union she co-founded with Chavez. I think we just have to look at the accomplishments that were made, the things that farm workers had the day that they never had. The thing that inspired so many people to get involved, you know, people that volunteer, people who contributed the 19 or so many millions of people that didn't buy grapes to make it happen, that it was all of these people coming together at the standard for farm workers. And so we can't say what it says that did it all, because many people have volunteered are the ones that made it happen, you know. So I think that's

what we have to look to. Now we know that he had this dark side, but at the same, same time, we do know that there were many, many people who were helped. As we continue to talk about Cesar Chavez, talk about the allegations that he co-opted the movement from Filipino farm workers and advocated for the deportation of undocumented workers whom he called wetbacks. Cesar Chavez is a very complicated person, right? He did create this movement along with Dolores Huerta, which changed American labor history, for sure. But if you watch the entirety of his arc of life as an activist, he was controversial.

I, even though Caesar Chavez and Dolores Werta changed my life as a little Mexican kid growing up in Chicago, right? In the late 80s and 90s, I became a big critic of Caesar Chavez because of the way that he was dealing with journalists. In fact, Marcos Breton from the, I think it's a Sacramento, So B is also writing about the fact that Caesar Chavez in the 80s and 90s became really belligerent with journalists. He was not cooperative. He was part of this strange, almost cult called Synodon, I think, that was doing drug treatment. So there are many of us who distanced ourselves. I mean, I wasn't close to him at all, but just this notion of like he is a very imperfect human being, he loves power.

And any time that you see a human being who is self-ableness, obsessed with their own power, you have to question that. Unfortunately, in our country, we're kind of living with that right now. And it's coming out now at the time of the massive immigrant crackdown deportations. Yeah, but the thing is that Latinos and Latinas, I hope, because of this kind of model, what you do when something like this happens, right? You become active. You don't stay silent.

So I think it's very interesting that people are saying, wow, look how quickly Latinos and Latinas are taking this on. And I mean, it's hard to say the word erase, right? But they are. They're erasing Caesar Chavez. They're painting over murals. So many people are saying, wow, they're doing this. What about what's happening with the Epstein files? What about the fact that no one's been arrested? What about the fact that we have a felon who is the 47th president's and is charged on sexual abuses? So we could see, and Dolores always says, says, and you know this, she always says, every crisis is an opportunity to organize. So I asked her, what's the opportunity? She said, this is a sickness and we have to take it down.

Will this, in fact, take down men who are pedophiles and sexual abusers and rapists? I don't know. But it is definitely an opening. But I insist, Amy, Latinos and Latinas are the voters of this country. They helped elect Donald Trump. So because of this, How is it going to change? I mean, I'm fascinated. I don't think that we can put this in a box and close it. I think that this is a movement that is going to change. And Dolores, I'm worried about her.

I mean, she's 95 years old. This is such an incredible emotional toll on her. So I am worried about her. But I think once she gets her bearings, she'll probably become a very important leader on the question of sexual assault and rape. And we'll post our interviews with her over the years. at DemocracyNow.org.

Mariano Hosa, thank you so much for being with us. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, founder of Futuro Media, host of Latino USA will link to the show's new episode titled, It Was Time, Dolores Wirtes' first interview after devastating Cesar Chavez Expoise. Coming up, we go to Lebanon, where Israeli attacks have killed over 1,000 people and displaced more than a million, back in 20 seconds. Never Never Again

by La Santa Cecilia in our Democracy Now studio. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman. In Lebanon, there are reports of heavy fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers backed by air and artillery

fires. Israel pushes ahead within ground invasion of South Lebanon. More than one million people have been displaced by Israeli strikes, evacuation, orders as well across Lebanon. The Israeli military has also destroyed several bridges over the Latani River, which connects the south of Lebanon to the rest of the country. Levenese health officials report more than a thousand people have been killed and thousands injured since

fighting began earlier this month. At least 40 medical workers are among the dead. There are over 100 children who are dead. In a statement, a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human rights raised concerns of possible war crimes, writing, quote, in many instances, Israeli air strikes have destroyed entire residential buildings and dense urban environments with multiple members of the same family, including women and children, often killed together. Such attacks are serious concerns under international humanitarian law. People displaced by the fighting and living intense along Beirut's seafront have also been hit, deliberately attacking civilians or civilian objects, amounts to a war crime. In addition, international law provides for specific protections for health care workers as well as people at heightened risk, such as the elderly women and displaced people, unquote, said a spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for human rights.

Fears are growing of a long-term occupation of southern Lebanon. Fighting began following the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah al-Alamini on the first day of the U.S. Israeli war in Lebanon. prompting his bullet to resume firing missiles into northern Israel. For more on what's happening in Lebanon, we go to Beirut, where we are joined by Kareem, Cheyip, correspondent for the Associated Press. I know there's a bit of a delay, Kareem. Just lay out what you're experiencing and what you're reporting on other people experiencing in Lebanon, in Beirut, in the south of Lebanon.

Over the past three weeks since this latest conflict or latest war began, things have escalated at such a rapid rate. If you compare this particular war to the last one less than two years ago, what happened in the past three weeks is what happened in the past seven or eight months. There have been daily air strikes in southern Lebanon, southern suburbs, several overnight strikes in central Beirut, and a large displacement, which has really shocked the country. The country at one point was hoping that it was going to restore its extent,

economy a bit improve its regional standing with its relationship with the Gulf and so on. And it had hoped that it was going to, you know, not be involved in this regional conflict with the U.S. and Israel's war on Iran. And, of course, Iran strikes on the Gulf. And this whole regional mass. The Lebanese authorities have been trying their best to stay away from this. And there appeared to have been some conversations with Hezbollah to avoid dragging Lebanon into this. There's a massive humanitarian crisis taking place right now. Beirut is flooded with displaced people. Many are staying in public schools, which have turned into shelters and many are still on the streets. The impact of the fuel crisis or the cost of patrol because of the

energy, the strikes on energy facilities is worsening inflation in Lebanon. And the Lebanese authorities are trying their best, it seems, to try and halt the fighting or bring a calm to the fighting through negotiations. They've offered direct negotiations with Israel. This is a move that France has supported and France is trying to mediate between the sides, but it doesn't appear that Hezbollah and Israel are interested in this at the moment. Hezbollah said they're committing to fighting no matter what the costs are at this point, while it doesn't seem like Israel is going to turn back on this ground incursion, these series of ground operations, which looks like it will turn into a wider-scale ground invasion at one point or

another. So there is no diplomatic off-ran. There is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in the country, and it doesn't appear that these strikes will stop anytime soon. So talk of more about the possibility of direct negotiations, reporting that Lebanon's government has broken a taboo by proposing direct talks with Israel. what exactly is being proposed? So the last time Lebanon, Israel had a series of direct negotiations goes back to the civil war. Now, since the end of the last war,

the Lebanese and the Israelis have engaged in indirect negotiations through UN, French, and American mediation, largely on a military and technical level. Before the war in Iran began, there were efforts to bring about more civilian participation, Haitian through diplomats. And there was a couple of meetings, and it appeared to have gone well. But these talks have largely broken down since the war in Iran, and then now here in Lebanon

as well. As Israel announced the evacuation notice for the very wood southern suburbs, the entirety of it, and as it appeared that there was going to be more ground operations in southern Lebanon, President Shepaun one night called President Emmanuel Macron. and urged for France to start some sort of diplomatic initiative. Now, usually it's Washington that comes in, but this time they seem preoccupied with what's happening in Iran at the moment. And he later, or soon after, rather, offered direct negotiations.

But the problem that he is facing and the Lebanese government is facing is that they are offering these negotiations as a way to stop the ongoing fighting, that they want a a cessation of hostilities and then negotiate. And in these negotiations, this would reaffirm Lebanon's commitment to disarming Hezbollah and to bring in more financial support to the Lebanese army so it could deploy across all of Lebanon and make sure that Lebanon's entire geography is under the control of the Lebanese state and security forces.

Now, it appears that the Israelis based on officials that I've spoken to here and the United States and elsewhere, are not saying no just yet to these talks, but it appears that the difference is that whether or not talks should happen while the fighting is going on or not, that appears to be the sticking point at the moment. Hezbollah at the same time do not support talks

until the fighting stops and until Israel withdraws from Lebanese territories. So the Lebanese government is unable to get the parties that are involved in this conflict, that are directly engaged in this conflict, to have these talks. Now, that might change, but so far that's not the case. And while it appears that Israel is keen on talks, the goal of the talks is really very different at the moment.

That could change. But for the time being, the Lebanese government is sort of caught between a rock and a hard place and is essentially acting as a humanitarian agency. Does Israel's massive bombing campaign and dislocation of a million Lebanese, tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have gone back into civil. Syria. Does it strengthen Hezbollah's domestic support in Lebanon? Hasbullah has always been a very divisive, you know, entity in Lebanon. You know, they are considered by some to be, you know, freedom fighters that protect southern Lebanon, the only

viable armed entity that can protect southern Lebanon from Israel or any sort of foreign invasion at a time where Lebanon's army is very cash-strapped and does not necessarily have. the same caliber to do so, but others seeing Hezbollah's power, involvement in wars in the region, and ability to make these kinds of decisions related to war and peace are seen as an entity that ultimately serves Iran's regional interests and violate Lebanese sovereignty by going beyond the state or setting the state aside. Now, what we're seeing here in Lebanon at the moment that it is worsening internal tensions that have definitely simmered since the last war, where Hezbollah fired rockets to Israel in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip,

where their intent, so they say at the time was to put pressure on Israel to stop its war in the Gaza Strip. And they are accusing Hezbollah. Their critics of doing the same but for Iran. But Hezbollah supporters say that since the end of the last war, Israel has not left five hilltop points in southern Lebanon. that Israel continued with near daily strikes every day on Lebanon and therefore they weren't doing their end of the ceasefire. There are people who are very loyal to Hezbollah

and they still are despite the displacement. I spoke with people on the streets, in shelters and elsewhere saying that, no, Hezbollah have the right to fight even if they don't have the same perhaps military capabilities that did last time, but in principle they have to fight. They can't just tolerate watching Israel's ongoing strikes over the past 15 months.

But there are people who are quite frustrated saying that joining this regional war, which the rocket fire was ultimately sparked by the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khan in Iran was not something that they needed to deal with, that they are already still dealing with the repercussions of the last war. An estimated $11 billion in damages,

a lot of people have taken out loans to rebuild their homes. Some of them have barely been able to spend some time picking up the pieces from the last war. It's hard to obviously quantify public opinion Lebanon, but certainly if there was ever a time where divisions in Lebanon internally over Hezbollah and basically the identity of the country and where it's going and where their place is in the region, this is probably the most intense and hostile it's been internally in well over a decade. And the reaction to the far right Israeli finance minister Bezalas Motrach threatening to demolish the southern suburbs of Beirut and turn it in. into another Gaza Strip, an Arab and Muslim nations condemning recent remarks by the U.S. Ambassador Israel, Mike Agaphi, after he claimed that Israel has a right to expand into most of the Middle East, your response?

There's no doubt that even among people in Lebanon that are critical of Hezbollah, that they do feel horrified by this ongoing war. Whether it's this one or the last one, the evacuation warnings before strikes, the strikes that come without a warning at all. And it does frighten a lot of people. And I remember in the last war, for example, speaking to lots of people saying that this is eerily similar to what they witnessed take place in the Gaza Strip among the Palestinians there. So they are obviously horrified that this is going to be a long war.

and a lot of people are indeed worried that with this ground incursion, with the way things are looking in southern Lebanon, that there could be another long-term occupation, perhaps similar to the one that was in southern Lebanon until the year 2000. The difference is whether or not they blame Hezbollah or not for provoking Israel in this sense. But people are certainly horrified, and they feel that there's a sense of restlessness in this war compared to the last one. I think the last one, people were able to kind of manage things for the most part. They were able to navigate themselves. But people feel this is an unpredictable war, that this one has no limits, and they don't know how to, you know, they don't feel like anywhere safe. Some of these strikes in central Beirut, for example, are happening really in the heart of the capital.

And they're happening overnight and in hotels where displaced people are staying or in random apartment buildings where, you know, suspected members of Hezbollah or the run revolutionary guard are. But even if people are, you know, survive these attacks, it brings in a lot of horror. And you can definitely tell that the atmosphere stands and people are really scared for their lives because they do not feel like anywhere safe. And that is a very unpredictable war this time around. We just have 30 seconds, but I wanted to ask you about the bombing of the Lebanese journalist's home, Mohammed Sherry, killing him and his wife, injuring his children, his grandchildren, press freedom groups, condemning this as a war crime in a separate strike. this video that's gone viral in Israeli missile dropping right behind RT journalist Steve Sweeney as he was reporting to camera wearing clearly a marked blue press vest.

Both Sweeney and his cameramen are reportedly in the hospital. This is just that clip. Further rocket attacks were reported against Naharia and admit it. Kareem Shahyab, we just have 30 seconds, but your response. So, so journalists. Journalists in this war have been victims, just like the last one as well. There were several journalists that were killed in the last war, including Reuters video journalist Isam Abdullah, most notably.

And this is something that the Lebanese authorities have clearly condemned. It's unclear how this will unfold. But there has been these two cases already three, rather, as a videographer, with Sweeney was also wounded in that. strike. Lebanon, unfortunately, during these conflicts, there have been journalists who have been wounded and killed. And there are concerns that news agencies are trying to deal with, given the unpredictability of the strikes and the nature of this dangerous job. Kareem Shahyab, I want to thank you so much for being with us. Please be safe. We're speaking to

you in Beirut, journalists reporting on Lebanon, Syria and Iraq for the Associated Press. Coming up, President Trump's push for the so-called Save Act, which could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters back in 15 seconds. I've been thinking about to talk about greed. I've been thinking about to talk about greed. I've been wondering if I was saying trying to find a way to talk about greed. Greed by Sweet Honey in the Rock when we were in our firehouse studio. On Monday, March 23rd, we're celebrating our 30th anniversary at Riverside Church. The live stream will be at DemocracyNow.org with Patty Smith and Michael Steep and Angela Davis and many others.

So do tune in. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman. The Senate's debating the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act known as the Save Act, following intense pressure from President Trump to pass the bill before the midterm election saying he won't sign off on any bill unless that one's passed. Voting rights experts say the SAVAC could disenfranchise millions of citizens who lack easy access to what would be required, either a birth certificate or a passport or who have changed their birth names, including many

married women and trans people. We're joined now by two guests. Amara Jones is a founder and CEO of Translash Media, host of its investigative podcast, the anti-trans hate machine. Nari Berman's voting rights correspondent from Mother Jones magazine, his latest piece outlined, the world is on fire, gas prices are rising, Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote. Ari, let's begin with you. We just have a few minutes. Lay out what this bill would do. Who has access to a passport, less than half of Americans?

Who has access to a birth certificate? What would this mean for the American voters? Hi, Amy. Thank you for having me back on to discuss this. So the Save America Act could disenfranchise tens of millions of Americans who don't have access to the documents needed to register and vote under this bill. The centerpiece of it is a show your paper's requirement requiring a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. That could disenfranchise tens of millions of people. only half of Americans have a passport, for example,

21 million Americans don't have access to their citizenship documents. That probably understates the number of people that could be disenfranchised because there are 69 million married women who have a different last name, the name on their birth certificate. It also requires you to show your documentation in person at an elections office, which means that people in rural areas could drive up to eight hours just to register to vote. it could effectively end mail registration, online registration, voter registration drive. So there's a reason why voting rights advocates believe this is the worst voter suppression

bill ever seriously considered by Congress. And it's just crazy with everything that's going on in the world, the U.S. invasion of Iran, rising gas prices, the economy in shambles, that instead Republicans are singularly focused on making it harder to vote and pursuing this Maga fever dream. Isn't this not so surprising as President Trump goes down in popularity who wants to limit the number of people who could vote against him? I mean, talk about especially African Americans and poor people in the South when it comes to having access to a birth certificate. That's true. I mean, Trump and Republicans are singularly focused on making it harder to vote. It is the overarching goal of the Republican Party now to make it harder to vote.

there are lots of people that don't have these documents. For example, if you are born at home in the Jim Crow South, you never had a birth certificate. So there's elderly voters in the Jim Crow South who never got that documentation. But I will also say, Amy, the bill could hurt Republicans in a lot of ways. You look at the states that have the lowest rates of passport ownership. They all voted for Trump. Married women who changed their names are more likely to be Republicans than Democrats. Rural voters who have to drive eight hours registered to vote. are more likely to be Republicans than Democrats. So in their zest to try to disenfranchise voters, I don't think Republicans have thought through the fact that they may be disenfranchising some of their own voters as well. I want to go to Amara Jones. President Trump is now demanding the Save America Act include bans on trans youth health care and sports participation. Talk about the amendments that will be voted on.

And again, he says he won't sign off on any other legislation unless this is passed. Right. Well, we also know more broadly that the SAVAC provisions that have been enacted at the states already have disenfranchised up to 200,000 trans people that was reported by NBC News in 2024. Additionally, now, the administration is demanding the inclusion of these particular writers and provisions. And what it shows is that for the Republican Party, the issue of trans people is central to their identity. As a matter of fact, we know that Donald Trump told people, in January, told the Republican Congress that this was the issue that they were going to run on in 2026.

And this project is not just some marginal cultural war. People have to understand that the erasure of trans people is a part of their broader vision to remake America, which is why at every single turn, at every single opportunity, they take that opportunity to enshrine anti-trans discrimination into American law. Talk about birth certificates when it comes to trans people. Well, I mean, this is going to be a mess because there are certain states where trans people are able to change their gender markers. So there are going to be some trans people who are going to be able to vote or present these documents. But there are many trans people who do not.

And so if you do not have a passport and if you have to present a birth certificate, if there is any difference between your ID and who the person in front of you believes that you are, then that is a reason to deny you the right to vote. And as I said, there are already 200,000 trans people in states that have implemented save act-like laws that have been disenfranchised already. In just the last two months, you have pointed out that Kansas retroactively invalidated the driver's licenses of some 1,700 trans residents. Right. And the whole point is we know that these laws don't stay in one state.

Everything is a test. Everything is a road test. And so now that we know that this law has passed in Kansas, it's already been introduced in Oklahoma. It's going to spread like wildfire across the country. At every single turn, their goal is to enshrine anti-trans discrimination in the law, because what they're doing is using trans people as a road test in order to try to figure out how to disenfranchise and marginalize and strip citizenship away from millions of Americans who disagree with them. So what are you doing about this?

So I think that what we do is tell people what's happening. I think that what we do is to underscore for people that this is not, again, it's not a cultural war. It is a political project that has broad implications for the rest of the country. And finally, Ari Berman, they're saying driver's licenses are not enough. As many as 69 million people who've taken their spouse's name don't have a birth certificate matching their illegal name. More than 140 million U.S. citizens don't possess a passport, which, by the way, cost something like $165 to a apply for one. We have just 30 seconds. Well, the SAVE Act is a modern-day poll tax in so many different ways.

They're trying to make it seem like it's requiring documentation that everyone has. It's requiring documentation that people don't have that's expensive to get, that people don't carry around with them every single day. This is not a voter ID bill. This is a show your papers bill. It would have far-reaching ramifications. Many more people would be affected by this than Republicans suggest. And it's just crazy that this is the thing that Republicans are focusing on when there's so many other problems in the world. It's doomed to failure, but the worry is that when it fails, Trump is going to take more extreme action to try to interfere with the midterms. This is just the beginning of a much bigger fight over the president's desire to interfere in the midterm elections.

Ari Berman, I want to thank you for being with us. National Voting Rights correspondent from Mother Jones magazine will link to your article. The World's on Fire, Gas Press, arising. Republicans are trying to make it harder to vote. And Amara Jones. and CEO of Translash Media and host of its investigative podcast, the anti-trans hate machine. Again, next Monday, 7 p.m. Eastern, live stream at DemocracyNow.org, our 30th anniversary celebration at Riverside Church here in New York with Patty Smith and Michael Steep and Angela Davis and others. I'm Amy Goodman. Thanks so much for joining us.