Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2026-03-30 Monday

Episode Date: March 30, 2026

Democracy Now! Monday, March 30, 2026

New York, this is Democracy Now. We were serving authorities of America. An estimated 8 million Americans took to the street Saturday in more than 3,300 no-kings protests nationwide against President Trump. Democracy Now was in the streets of the Twin Cities, Denver, and New York. We'll hear some of the voices. New York police thwart an assassination attempt against prominent Palestinian American activist Nardine Kiswani, founder of the group within our lifetime. When I learned that someone was plotting to attack my home to take my life, I wasn't just processing

that as an organizer. I was processing it as a mother holding my infant thinking about what it means to raise a child under this level of threat, a threat that so many Palestinian women already face. Nardin Kiswani will join us in studio, then to Lebanon, where three journalists were targeted and killed in their car by an Israeli strike. This is Israel. This is the reality of Israel when it targets media colleagues. The word press is written in all major languages. Who is protecting? Where are the regulations and international laws? All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. An estimated

8 million people took to the streets of cities across 50 U.S. states and more than a dozen countries around the world Saturday in thousands of protests against President Trump under the banner, No Kings. Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history. In St. Paul, Minnesota, about 200,000 protesters gathered at the state capital just miles from where federal immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Preti in January. After headlines, we'll air speeches from the St. Paul rally. You'll hear from Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen, Ilhan Omar, and others. And we go to the streets of New York. throughout the five boroughs. The U.S. Israeli war in Iran has entered its fifth week.

President Trump told the Financial Times Sunday, he would prefer, quote, to take the oil and seize Iran's oil export Habqargh Island. Shortly after his comments, the price of oil surged to $116 a barrel. Separately, President Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force won and boasted about regime change in Iran. regime change. You're lucky already because the one regime was decimated, destroyed. He was mostly dead. Third regime would dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before. It's a whole different group of people. President Trump's comments come as 3,500 U.S. troops began arriving in the region Friday. The Washington Post reported Saturday night the Pentagon's preparing for weeks of potential ground conflict in Iran.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journalist reporting, President Trump's considering a military operation to seize nearly a thousand pounds of uranium from Iran. This is Ibrahim Zulfakari, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. In response to Trump's recent threats of ground operations or occupation of any part of Iranian territory, which of course is nothing more than a wish, we announced that the warriors of Islam have been waiting for some. such actions for a long time to prove that aggression and occupation will not result in anything other than humiliating captivity and dismemberment and disappearance of the aggressors. CENTCOM says more than 300 U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war. So far, 13 U.S. service members have died. According to a consortium of human rights groups in Iran, nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians, some say more than 2,000 have been killed, at least 200,000

17 children have been killed in the U.S. and Israeli strikes. U.S. officials say Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, wounding at least 15 U.S. service members Friday. The Iranian strike also destroyed the U.S. military's E3-century radar aircraft the first time the $300 million plane has been lost in combat. On Saturday, Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a barrage of missiles at southern Israel for the first time since the war began, targeting what the group called sensitive Israeli military sites. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky signed air defense cooperation agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirate Saturday after signing a similar deal with Saudi Arabia during his visit to the kingdom Thursday. Ukraine has sent anti-drone experts to all three Gulf countries. As Iran has been targeting infrastructure in the region using drones similar to ones used by Russia against Ukraine.

On Sunday, Zelensky also visited Jordan for security talks. An Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in southern Lebanon on Saturday, killing Al-Azhouib of Al-Manar TV. reporter Fatima Ftuni of Amayyedin TV and her brother freelance cameraman Mohamed Fatuni. Israel's military said it targeted Shoeb, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence. Israel made no mention of the two other journalists killed. Protesters gathered in Martyr Square in Beirut Saturday, holding photos of the dead

journalists killed in the Israeli air strike. The important thing is, we need to meet with today. we all want to draw attention to is that the Israeli enemy, once they find anyone standing for rights and supporting the oppressed, tries to silence that voice. And the voice of the oppressed cannot be stopped, despite the enemy trying to overpower it, or no matter how many killings they carry out. Lebanon's information minister said the government would file a complaint with the UN Security Council over what he called Israel's deliberate and blatant war crime against the media, unquote. Meanwhile, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Unifil, said a peacekeeper was killed Sunday

when a projectile exploded at one of its positions in southern Lebanon. Another peacekeeper was critically injured on Saturday. The World Health Organization said nine paramedics were killed in five separate Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of health workers killed by Israel in March to 51. The attacks come as Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Israeli military to further expand the security buffer zone in southern Lebanon. The United Nations says Israeli strikes and evacuation orders in Lebanon have displaced more than 370,000 children. More than 120 children have been killed and nearly 400 have been injured in Israeli attacks this month. In Gaza, Israeli air strikes on two checkpoints in

Han Yunus killed at least six Palestinians, including a child Sunday, according to local health officials. The Israeli military has killed over 680 Palestinians in Gaza since a U.S. brokered ceasefire with Hamas came into effect last November. This is the mother of Samar of Faises, who was killed in Israeli air strikes on Sunday. This is the fourth martyr. I do not have any sons left. No sons are left. That's enough. That's enough. Enough. Enough. What is the fault of this woman? What is the fault of this woman? What is the fault of this child, this child. Two and a half years old and orphaned, there is a fetus in her womb who will enter the world

without a father. Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierre Batista Pisabala, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday to celebrate Mass. Due to Israel's ban on gatherings at religious sites during the Iran war, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Iranian missiles, had repeatedly targeted Jerusalem's holy sites with missile fragments landing near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Latin Patriot said it was the first time in centuries. The heads of the church were prevented from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the site,

calling the incident a grave precedent. EU foreign policy chief Kajakales called it a violation of religious freedom. Following the backlash, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Latin patriarch would receive full and immediate access to the church. Pope Leo has reprimanded U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegset for using Christian scripture to justify waging war and slaughtering people. During a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter Square, the Pope said God refuses the prayers of leaders who have hands full of blood. Meanwhile, leaders of the Democratic Women's Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus have condemned Hegsaith for personally intervening to block the

promotion of four Army officers to become one-star generals. Two of the four denied promotions are black, two are women. The remaining officers on track for promotions are overwhelmingly white men. A New Jersey man has been arrested in charge with plotting to fire bomb the home of a prominent Palestinian-American activist in Brooklyn. Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov cocktails and planning an arson attack against Nardine Kiswaiwai. Kiswani, the co-founder of within our lifetime. Kiswani has led protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel's assault on the Gaza strip.

Investigators say Heifler is a member of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group designated as a terrorist group by the FBI. He allegedly planned to flee to Israel after launching the attack. We'll speak with Nardin Kiswani later in the broadcast. President Trump Sunday bragged to reporters his planned, White House ballroom is, quote, ahead of schedule and under budget, unquote. He also described the ballroom as a shed for a massive military complex being built underneath. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued the Trump administration,

alleging the ballroom construction, ignored required reviews, and public input. Bank of America has agreed to pay more than $72 million to settle a federal lawsuit brought by hundreds of survivors of rape and sexual abuse by the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Survivors filed the lawsuit last October, alleging Bank of America overlooked clear signs Epstein was using a pair of bank accounts to carry out crimes. The suit claimed Bank of America had, quote, a plethora of information regarding Epstein's sex trafficking operation, but chose profit over protecting the victims, unquote. It's a third settlement of its kind after Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase paid out a combined

$365 million to settle lawsuits brought by Epstein survivors. The shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is now the longest shutdown of any federal agency in U.S. history. On Friday, a record number of TSA workers called out of work. Since the shutdown began, more than 500 TSA officers have quit. Last week, the House passed its own short-term bill to fund the entire Department of Homeland Security after the Senate passed a bill excluding funding for ICE and Border Patrol. The House bill now heads to the Senate, which is currently in a two-week recess. And here in New York, Senator Bernie Sanders rallied support Sunday for a proposed income tax increase on New Yorkers earning over a million dollars a year. the tax would impose a 2% increase on New York City's wealthiest residents helping to close the looming budget deficit as Mayor Mamdani seeks to establish universal free early childcare, free bus rides and more affordable housing.

This is Senator Sanders speaking at a rally at Lehman College. The people of this city, the people of the state, the people of this country do not want to see our kids go hungry. do not want to see people sleep out on the street lack health care. They want the very rich to start paying their fair share of taxes. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now, DemocracyNow, Democracy Now.org, the Warren Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. An estimated 8 million people took to the street Saturday in thousands of no king's protests against President Trump.

protests were held in all 50 states in more than a dozen countries. Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history. In St. Paul, Minnesota, about 200,000 protesters gathered at the Minnesota Capitol just miles from where federal immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Preti in January. Performers and speakers in St. Paul included Senator Bernie Sanders, Bruce Springfield, Jane Fonda and Joan Baez. We begin with Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. I came to this country as a refugee. To me, America was a beacon of hope. A place where freedom wasn't just a word, but it was a promise. I arrived here when I was 12 years old. I could have never imagined the day would come when we were staring down at this kind of

creeping authoritarianism in the United States of America. But we are here because Donald Trump just has not chipped away at our democracy. He has taken a wrecking ball to the very foundation of what makes America great. He has tried to intimidate Minnesotans. He has tried to make us afraid. He has tried to divide us. but we stood strong. We have had each other's back

and we have never bent the knee. Soda, we are build different. We do not cower to bully strong. Now it's bigger than what is happening here. Operation Metro Surge was just the tip of the icingberg. We are witnessing a... full-scale assault on our rights, our institutions, and the rule of law. They are floating an illegal takeover of places like Cuba and Greenland like it is some kind of a real estate deal.

And under the so-called anti-war president, we have now seen the launching of military operations in Iran, in Venezuela, and in Ecuador. Just a couple of weeks ago, they told us, that they blew up a drug trafficking camp in Ecuador, and it turned out to be a dairy farm. It's what incompetency and unchecked power looks like. It is reckless. It is dangerous. And this is not what our country will stand for.

We are not a country of kings. We are a country of laws. We are a country where people look out for one another. A country that will fight peacefully, powerfully, and persistently to protect our democracy. You, Minnesotans, thank you so much for being out here to introduce a lifelong shiro of mine. The incredible Jane to read a statement which I am honored to do. Minnesota, this is from Becca Good. I am so proud to call Minneapolis my home.

I can't stop talking about how absolutely beautiful it is to see how Minnesota shows up for its people. I want to say thank you for how you've shown up for me, how you've shown up and shown out for all the people victimized by this horrible moment in history. So many people have reached out to me and surrounded me with safety and care. and I know I am not alone in feeling in awe of your generosity. The reality is I am so heartbroken. I miss my wife. The world now knows that my wife sparkled with sunshine and shone with kindness that is unmatched.

We were robbed of an incredible human. It has made people pause and take a breath and have to choose sides. We choose the side of love. Yes. I'm Nikima Levy Armstrong, civil rights attorney, and some against authoritarian

on January registration. Introduced to you a good friend of mine, who's also one of my heroes. Please welcome the great Joan Baez to standing in resistance with all of you today. On this stage, in this city at this moment. For those of us who believe in the power of nonviolent resistance

and those of you who didn't, you have shown the way with your courage, determination, and decency. Thank you, Minneapolis. And now, No Kings is proud to welcome to the stage, Senator Bernie Sanders. Let us be honest. The American people were lied to about the war in Vietnam.

We will lie to about the war in Iraq. This war must end immediately. In the last election, Donald Trump pointed out correctly the huge amounts of money that had been wasted in wars that should have been spent rebuilding America. He campaigned as a peace candidate, and he promised no more forever wars. He lied. A month ago, Trump and his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Iran.

This war is unconstitutional. Trump did not seek or receive authorization from Congress. This war is a violation of international law. One sovereign nation cannot simply go about attacking another sovereign nation for any reason it chooses. No Kings is proud to welcome to the stage, the 41st governor of the great state of Minnesota, Tim Walls. When the wannabe dictator in the White House sent his unconstitutional. untrained, aggressive thugs to do damage to Minnesota, it was you, Minnesota, who stood up for your neighbors, who stood up for decency, who stood up for kindness. And at this moment that we

are still in, when democracy itself seems to be at risk, it was Minnesota who said, not on our watch, not on our watch. So I have to tell you, we're damn sure about this. We need no damn kings. But I'll tell you what, I'm glad we have. We do need a boss. Please welcome Bruce Springsteen to the stage. This past winter, federal troops brought death and terror to the streets of Minneapolis. Well, they picked the wrong city. The power and the solidarity of the people of Minneapolis, of Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country, your strength, and your commitment told us that this is still America. And this reactionary nightmare, and these invasions of American cities will not stand. You gave us hope. You gave us courage.

And for those who gave their lives, Renee Good, mother of three, brutally murdered, Alex Prady, VA nurse, executed by ice, shot in the back and left a die in the street without even the decency of our lawless government investigating their deaths. Their bravery, their sacrifice, and their names will not be forgotten. Well, through the winter's ice and cold, down Nicolet, Nathan I. H.S. Guns belted. Bruce her soul there stole. Citizens stood for justice. Their voices ringing through the night.

Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis in St. Paul, Minnesota, the flagship No Kings protest just miles from where immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Brechti in January. When we come back, we go to No King's protests in New York and Denver. But first more of Bruce Springsteen. Voice sang in through the bloody mist We'll take our stand for this land And a stranger

And I'll remember the name to those who died On the streets of Mideast His chest And Alex Brady lay in the snow dead Their claim was self-defenseer Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis at the No King's protest in St. Paul, Minnesota. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman as we continue our coverage of Saturday's No King's protest.

An estimated 8 million people took the streets of all 50 states as well as countries around the world. Organizers say it was the largest single day of protest in U.S. history, with protests in over 3,300 cities, towns, villages, and hamlets. And Denver, Colorado protesters included longtime immigrant rights activist Jeanette Visguera. In December, she was released from an ICE jail after nearly 10 months in detention. My name is Jeanette Visguera. I am a local and national immigrant rights organizer. And I am also a person impacted by this administration.

I was in the geo-processing center for nine months and seven days just for using my rights to criticize, to denounce, to fight with my community. I think it's not just. It's the dirtiest that one can see that this administration is trying to shut up leaders, pro-Palestinian, pro-immigrant, whatever struggle they're violating our rights. For this, we are here in Denver, Colorado, fighting for our rights in community and unity. March is organized by us on the National Ler, are saying enough of President Trump.

He's not the king of this country, nor the king of the world. And we are going to continue fighting for our rights and for our democracy in this country. I have indigenous blood and you have to remember. I have more right than many here to be in this lands in my community. And here we are struggling. Long time immigrant rights activist Jeanette Bisgaera recently released from an ICE jail. She was at the no-kings protest in Denver. now turn to the No Kings protest here in New York Saturday.

I'm Amy Goodman. This is Democracy Now. We're here on the south end of Central Park. Thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people are marching on this No Kings Day. Let's hear what some of them have to say why they came out. Hello, Lieber Sarton. I'm here today with We the Students, NYBORN. see. We're students from across the city in many different schools, and we're here to put our voices together and show that we are paying attention. As much as the government wants to pretend and try to get us to not pay attention, we are paying attention. And so we're here to show that together. We'll put our voices together, and we're going to change the system because we're together.

How old are you? I am 16 years old. Thank you. What great. I'm a junior in high school. High School. High School for Environmental Studies. My name is Luna. I'm with the Refcom Corps for the Emancipation of Humanity. And we're out here on No Kings Day because, look, this Donald Trump is a fascist. And all the millions of decent people need to be out here. And look, they're an imperialist war of aggression on Iran right now.

My name is Jean Berman. My sign says, Grandparents Fight Back.org. We are nonviolent. That's why we abhor ice tactics and the January 6th insurrection. We are law. We test the illegal. We love America. That's why we fight for democracy. Our rights, decency, our land and the well-being of all of us. Grandparents fight back for the sake of our grandchildren. I'm six. My talking with mega, like right here. Oh, you have a megaphone and your sign says... Time to use our outside voices.

What's your outside voice? Sounding. My name is Roxanne Griffith. I'm out here because we have to get rid of this fascist regime. This cannot continue. My sign is we've got to get rid of this regime. And it also, with the voter suppression that they are working night and day on, we've got to vote. We've got to vote. We've got to vote and we've got to stop what they're trying to do.

Vote while you still can, it says. And then your pin on your baseball cap says, give a damn. Give a damn. There's so many people who don't. And I hope it resonates with some people today. You've got to give a damn. This is serious. I remember this in the news, this gentleman being left in the cold, legally blind, and he dies. So I'm holding this sign. New York is for all. Your sign says New York for all would have saved Neural Amin Shah Alam,

beloved father and husband killed when local police colluded with ice. His is just a microcosm for the ways in which ICE has actually moved beyond immigrants, many American citizens are being targeted, and to the targeting of immigration, of immigrants, and just our community members here. And are you a student? I am a student, yes.

My name is Chase. I'm a psychiatry resident. I work in the Bronx. I work with patients in crises, and I see how this whole, all of this impacts their mental well-being every day. Especially in the Bronx, we have a very significant immigrant population, and I see how the fear of persecution directly impacts their mental health and leads to worse outcomes. and it packs their care. So this is from our union, our resident union, a sign that we had. We had a No Kings Day sit in at our hospital, and so I wanted to bring it to represent it. It says patients deserve care without peer.

Rights attorney from the New York Civil Liberties Union. Can you talk about what this day means? It's historic because not only in New York City, but in cities and towns, villages, all across America. people are rising up. We're saying democracy, yes, autocracy, no. And the fact there's so many people here who've never been part of a protest movement inspires me.

I'm 82, but I'm not giving up. Not only that, but we have a lot of young people here who are ready to pick up the torture, freedom, justice, and equality for all. We will prevail. Voices from the no king's protest in New York, one of 3,300 protests in the largest day of protest in U.S. history. Coming up, the New York police say they've thwarted a plot to assassinate the prominent Palestinian-American activist, Nardine Kiswani, the co-founder of within our lifetime. She joins us in studio.

Stay with us. Some senators, congressman, please heed the call. hall don't stand in the doorway don't block up the hall for he who gets hurt will be he who has stalled and there's a battle outside and it's raging it'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls for the times criticized what you don't understand Minneapolis Minnesota you don't get the As Maggie Rogers and Tom Morello performing the times they are changing at Saturday's no kings protest in St. Paul. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the Warren Peace Report.

I'm Amy Goodman. A New Jersey man has been arrested in charge with plotting to firebomb the home of a prominent Palestinian-American activist in Brooklyn. Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov cocktails and planning an R-Safe. attack against the home of Nardine Kiswani, the co-founder of Within Our Lifetime, a Palestinian-led community organization here in New York. Nardin has led protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel's assault on Gaza. The arrest follows a week's long undercover investigation by the New York Police Department

that started online. Investigators say Heifler is a member of the JD. BL 613 Brotherhood, a New Jersey-based group found in 2024. The group is an offshoot of the Jewish Defense League, a pro-Israel group designated by the FBI as a terrorist organization. The plot allegedly began in February when Heifler discussed making Molotov cocktails on a video call that included an undercover detective. Prosecutors said in the complaint, the undercover detective met in person with the

with Heifler on three occasions, and they built eight Molotov cocktails together in Heifler's home. He faces up to 20 years in prison. New York City mayor, as Orham Mandani, released a statement that read in part, quote, the defendant reportedly planned to flee to Israel following the attack. This comes amidst an alarming rise in threats and violence across the country, targeting Palestinian human rights advocates, Mayor Mamdani said. We're joined here in our New York studio by Nardine Kiswani. Welcome to Democracy Now. You are the prominent Palestinian-American activist that this man targeted a part of this offshoot of the JDO. Can you talk about when you learned of the possible assassination attempt? Thank you so much for having me, Amy. I learned of the assassination

attempt that a night before everyone else, Thursday night, around 9 or 10 p.m., FBI, JT, F.B. JT.F. Joint Terrorist Task Force. I reached out to me and my family called us multiple times, you know, and let us know you're not in any trouble. This concerns your safety and told me that, you know, I was in danger of imminent harm and they've made an arrest and they no longer believe. I'm in danger, but they really didn't provide any other information, not his name, not what the threat was, just that an arrest was made in Hoboken and told me that I'd find out about it on the news like everyone else the next day. So what were your first thoughts when the FBI and the New York Police Department contacted you? And then when you heard what this plot was all about, when he was brought into court, Zoom call him, unbeknownst to him, an undercover detective as they planned your assassination.

Well, before I knew it was the FBI, I was getting no-call or ID calls. I thought it could have been Zionists that were coming to my front door that were called. me because I've been getting these kinds of threats for years now, and they've been increasing, especially in the last few months. But when they told me about the plot, you know, my heart dropped to my stomach. I have a nine-month-old infant. I have a disabled brother. I have a family that, you know, I'm worried about and that I care about. And it really made me feel even more vulnerable than I already do as a Palestinian activist who's been warning about this kind of thing for so long. and Zionists have been able to continue to target me, harass me, attack me with impunity.

So it was really scary. And it really harkened back to the lawsuit that I filed against Batara, another Zionist organization, just last month in February. And why did you file that lawsuit? It's a civil rights lawsuit under the Anti-KKK Act of 1871. And it alleges that they violated my civil rights by making it. possible for me to participate in public life. They put an $1,800 bounty on my head saying, we'll give $1,800 to anyone who hands that jihadia beeper, of course, referencing the Lebanon, the Israeli attack on Lebanese families, children who've been left maimed and disabled.

So it instantly brought my mind back to that, and whether this was revenge to that, it brought my mind back to Alex Alda of the ADC, who was firebombed in his office. That was the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee in Los Angeles. Exactly. And, you know, he died, and his perpetrators as suspects also fled to Israel, just like this guy was planning to. And we're never, you know, held to justice. Nobody was ever jailed for that.

There was no accountability. Reading from the New York Times, the J.D.O founded New York in the 60s by Maher Kahana, a Brooklyn-born anti-Arab militant who later moved to Israel and founded the Khakh Party. The party was later outlawed in Israel for inciting racism. The Jewish Defense League and the Koch Party have been connected to several high-profile acts of violence. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, another Brooklyn-born man and J.D.L. activists who immigrated to Israel, killed 29 people and injured 125 more when he opened fire at a West Bank mosque during Ramadan.

And then in 2005, JDL members were convicted of a plot to bomb, a Los Angeles mosque, and an office of Congress member Darrow Issa in California. Yeah, it's truly shocking what they've been able to get away with. They've been openly protesting within our lifetime for over 10 years, despite being on the designated terrorist list by the FBI. They operate in plain sight. I've been also warning about them. This specific offshoot tweeted at me in January. saying that you and your disgusting baby have no right to exist in the U.S.,

and we are always watching you. You know, I posted about that. I've been, you know, screaming into the void about the plots, the assassination, the history of assassination attempts, the attacks, you know, that they've lobbied at the Palestine movement, at Palestinians, at Muslims, and it's just been ignored for far too long.

So it's good to finally have some accountability, although the charges are limited to just making and possession of firearms, and not the attempted murder and attempted terrorist attack. Within our lifetime, the group you co-founded, what does it do? We organize protests, educational events, and really advocate to revitalize the revolutionary spirit of Palestinians in exile. But we work with, you know, people of all different fates and backgrounds to bring Palestine front

and center and to remind everyone, especially here in New York City, that it's our tax dollars that pay for the genocide, that pay for the occupation of the Palestinian people, my people. And so it's our responsibility to educate, agitate, and organize, to remove, to end all U.S. funding to Israel and to support Palestinian liberation. And the name within our lifetime means? That, you know, we believe that Palestine is going to be free within our lifetime. It's not a distant endeavor. It's something that we wish to bring about, you know, while we're here for the future of everybody.

Well, thank you for coming into our studio. I know this was a risk with your baby. Thank you and be safe. Thank you so much. Nardine Kiswani is co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group within our lifetime. She and her attorneys are holding a news conference today at 11 a.m. at New York City Hall. This is Democracy Now. Democracy Now.org, the war and peace report. I'm Amy Goodman. An Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in southern Lebanon, Saturday, killing. Ali Shoeb of Aminar TV, reporter Fatima Fatuni of Amayadine TV, and her brother, freelance cameraman Muhammad Fatuni. Israel's military said it targeted Shoeb, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence.

Israel made no mention of the other two journalists that the military killed. Mourners and protesters gathered in Martyr Square, Lebanese presidentialists. of Aoun described the journalists as civilians doing their professional duty. He condemned Israel's attack in a statement on social media that read in part, quote, it's a brazen crime that violates all treaties and norms to which journalists enjoy international protection and war, unquote. Lebanon's information minister, Paul Marcos, said his country will submit a complaint to the United Nations. We are working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to complete a complaint file to be submitted to the relevant bodies and international forums, the United Nations, Human Rights Council, the International Committee of

the Red Cross, and other international bodies. We will not consider the repeat and deliberate targeting of journalists as something normal, and we will not accept it. The attack comes, as the World Health Organization said nine paramedics were also killed Saturday in five separate Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon. bringing the total number of health workers killed by Israel in March to 51. We go right now to Beirut, where we're joined by the investigative journalist Leila Yunus. Her piece for drop site news earlier this month is headlined.

Israel killed over a dozen Lebanese paramedics in three days, now claiming that ambulances are Hezbollah targets. We welcome you back to Democracy Now, Leila. talk about the three journalists killed exactly what happened. This is perhaps the first time that Israel's admitting it targeted one of the journalists. It doesn't talk about the other two blowing up their car. Right. These reporters were prominent journalists. We all recognize here in Lebanon.

They've been reporting from the ground in the south, even before this escalation started. Ali Shahib, Flaq Mfmiftona, and her brother, Mohammed Fafteu. So they were basically in a car driving in the Jazeen district of southern Lebanon when a suicide drone struck the car. And then, you know, individuals on the side of the road began rushing towards the vehicle trying to help to see if there was, you know, wounded that they could rescue. And then Israel targeted the car again with a second strike, which is something that we're seeing a lot right now in Lebanon, these sort of double-tap strikes. that affect the ability of first responders to actually do their job. I wanted to go to the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. This says Israel's military says it's expanding its invasion of southern Lebanon.

In Lebanon, I have just instructed to further expand the existing security zone in order to decisively thwart the threat of invasion and to push anti-tank missile fire, away from our border. Leila, Eunice, if you can talk about what the prime minister said and also talk about the funeral and who turned out for this funeral of the three journalists? The funeral was packed with reporters, with, you know, press and also, you know, individuals who have been following the voices of these journalists for years. And I want to tell you about these reporters, you know, the Israeli military spokesperson and

the various outlets that launder, you know, his claims will tell you that these were Hezbollah, you know, militants or propagandists for terrorism. But as a reporter here on the ground, Amy, it's my responsibility to tell you how these reporters' communities describe them, which is as courageous journalists who spoke truth to power, whose politics and commitment to reporting was directly informed by their experience with Israeli violence and occupation. And, you know, additionally, I think it's important to note that these claims, that these reporters were military targets, you know, they mirror claims that we saw in Gaza when Israel targeted Anasashashir, and Hussein Shabat and Ismaili, right, claiming similar

things there when we were seeing these same reporters as we are here on the news day in, day out. So the hearts are very, very heavy here in Lebanon, you know, at the death of these reporters. And of course, this is not the first time, you know, that Israel has kind of targeted report. And I think it's important as well to note that in doing so, what Israel is effectively doing is it's trying to break the will of the people, this community, that they're kind of leading this campaign of collective punishment against. When we, when we see those reporters on the ground in the south, in land that hundreds and thousands have been forced to flee, you know, gives hope. There's almost, you know, in seeing them there on that earth a promise of return. And so I

think that this, this is really an attempt to kind of, you know, break, break the will of a people in a moment of deep vulnerability. Israel's military wrote on social media, quote, eliminated. For years, Ali Hassan Shab operated as a Zabala, Radwan forced terrorist under the guise of a journalist. Turns out the press vest was just a cover for terror. They said. The text appears with an image that appears to be two photographs of Shaib spliced together. That's what it looks like. On the left, wearing a press uniform. On the right, a military uniform of Hezbollah. But the image is a fake. The IDF later admitted to Fox News, the photograph on the right is Photoshopped. Your response to this.

Amy, it's, you know, we've seen it before. Remember when they assassinated, is Ismael in Ghazze, you know, what did they say? They said that he was a part of an elite Hamas division, and they named the date of his entry into that division. And then if you do the math, given his extremely young age, he would have been a child at the time of his, you know, entry into this elite Hamas division, another blatant lie, an attempt to justify, you know, what is obviously against international law and all human conscience, the targeting of press as they're on the ground, doing their work. We talked about the medics killed the last time you were on even more.

If you can explain the latest killing of medics, we just have 30 seconds. It's been relentless, Amy, you know, 12 killed in Burj al-Arawi, five in Zawainu. The 15-year-old Jude Sleiman killed alongside the 19-year-old, Ali Jabir, on the road, in a clearly marked EMS vehicle. you know, the U.S. government doesn't force Israel to stop these crimes, they will only continue. Lely, Eunice, I want to thank you for joining us, investigative journalist and writer based in Beirut. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman. As the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, we also are joined by Ali Kadiwar, a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute

for Advanced Studies at Harvard University, Associate Professor of Sociology and International studies at Boston College. He grew up in Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, was active in the student movement at the University of Tehran. We're going to do this interview in two parts, Professor Kadivar. First, if you can talk about the significance of this moment as the U.S. and Israel moves into the second month of bombing Iran and Iran retaliating around the region. So Iran has gone through various war, multiple wars, through its modern history. any Iranian that has lived through 20th and 21st century has witnessed at least two significant wars in their lifetime. Many of these wars, even if we go back to 19th century,

Iran and Russia war with Britain, then World War I, World War II, Iran-Iraq War, the June war with Israel and America, and this current war. Many of the previous wars also also resulted in the lost territory. World War I resulted in famine and in plague. Many Iranians died. So these have been significant wars, and Iran is going through another war, which has been an existential threat. For the government, the head of the state, Ali Khomeini, was killed and removed. On the first day of the war, many officials of the Islamic Republic have been killed. Also, many residential buildings have been pounded and attacked. Schools have been bombed. Hospitals have been bombed. Over the last few days, there have been bombing

and attacks on major factories, steel plants in Svehan, in Khuzestan. And it looks like that if maybe if the war was about the regime change, it is not anymore, or maybe never it was. that this recent attacks on civilian infrastructure makes the war look like more a war on Iran as a nation states. I wanted to get your response, Professor Kadivar, to President Trump speaking on Sunday in Air Force One. Basically, President Trump is saying we've accomplished regime change because we kill the first group, the second group, and now the third group we're dealing with a whole different group of people. Your response to his definition of regime change? I mean, he, of course, keeps changing his definitions and his goals. The leadership has changed in that sense.

Yes, there has been some change within the Islamic Republic, but the institutions have not collapsed. Internal dynamics of Islamic Republic have functioned to replace new individuals for its positions, and the killing and assassinations of leadership of Islamic Republic is not something new. Killing of the head of the state is new. This had not happened for a long time or in Islamic Republic. But up to the level of presidents, we have had senior leadership of Islamic Republic being assassinated in 1980s, and they have been replaced.

So I don't think the regime has changed because these are the new leadership. is not coming from outside the regime. In most cases, such as Mosh Tabah, Khomey, that is now the new leader, or Zol Ghaz, that became the secretary of the High Council for National Security, the new leadership have been even more hawkish than previous leadership. So it is in some way, it is true that the leadership has changed, and it has become more hardline and hawkish. We're going to continue this discussion and post online at DemocracyNow.org

with Professor Ali Kadivar, fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies at Harvard University Associate Professor of Sociology and International Studies at Boston College. Democracy Now currently accepting applications for a development associate position to support our fundraising team. Learn more at DemocracyNow.org. That does it for our show. I'm Amy Goodman. This is another edition of Democracy Now.