Democracy Now! Audio - Democracy Now! 2026-04-17 Friday

Episode Date: April 17, 2026

Democracy Now! Friday, April 17, 2026

From Los Angeles, this is Democracy Now. It's very exciting because it's 48 years. We're going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, as you know, and the president of Lebanon. And I had a great talk with both of them today. They're going to be having a ceasefire, and that'll include Hezbollah. A 10-day ceasefire has begun in Lebanon, raising hopes throughout the country. But southern Lebanon remains occupied by Israeli troops. That's about 10% of the country.

We'll go to Beirut for the latest. Then we look at the prospect of another round of peace talks between the United States and Iran after the first round collapsed. And we speak to Aliyuraman. She's filed a personal injury claim against the Department of Homeland Security after ICE agents in Minneapolis smashed her car with. dragged her out and detained her while she was heading to a medical appointment. I was carried face down through the street by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a

brain injury and was disabled. I now cannot lift my arms normally. I was never asked for ID, never told I was under arrest, never read my rights, and never charged with a child. And never charged the crime. All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the war and peace report. I'm Amy Goodman. Celebrations broke out across Lebanon overnight after Israel agreed to attend a ceasefire following U.S. broker talks to end seven weeks of attacks that have killed nearly 2,200 people in Lebanon, including 172 children. Israel continued air strikes right up until the ceasefire took effect Thursday evening, including attacks on the city of Tyre that killed at least 13 people. Elsewhere, Israel bombed a school in southern Lebanon

and blew up the last bridge over the Latani River, further isolating southern Lebanon from the rest of the country. Israeli forces now occupy about 10% of Lebanon's territory with an estimated 1.2 million people displaced from their homes. This is Ibrahim Suwai, a 30-year-old living in a tent in Beirut after he fled. Israeli strikes in the suburb of Dahlia. They gave a 10-day ceasefire, but we don't accept that. 10 days, if we want to go back to our homes, 10 days in the war returns, we don't want that. Either our land is fully returned or we don't want the ceasefire.

We'll continue with the war. My home in Dahia in Beirut's southern suburbs has been destroyed. Who will compensate me? After headlines will go to Beirut for the latest. In Israel, hundreds of people rallied in Tel Aviv Thursday to denounce escalating attacks on Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. Human rights groups say it was the largest protest of its kind yet in Israel. It came after Israel's high court lifted a weeks-long wartime ban on.

public gatherings. The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a war powers resolution seeking to rein in President Trump's ability to wage war on Iran. On Thursday, every House Republican voted against the resolution except for Kentucky Congressmember Thomas Massey. It failed on a vote of 213 to 214 after Democrat Jared Golden of Maine crossed the aisle. to vote with the Republicans. The Senate narrowly rejected Iran-war powers resolution one day earlier. On Thursday, President Trump repeated his claim that a deal to end the war in Iran is, quote, very close and that direct talks with Iran could resume in Pakistan as soon as this weekend. Despite the claims the Pentagon is surging thousands of additional troops to the Middle East,

including an additional 6,000 sailors and aviators joining the USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier Battle Group. The ships were recently spotted steaming around the southern tip of Africa, avoiding a much shorter passage through the Red Sea, where they would be in range of missiles and drones of Yemen's Iran-backed-Houthi movement. In Ukraine, at least 17 people were killed as Russia launched. its deadliest drone and missile attacks of the year on Kiev and other cities. Among the dead was a 12-year-old child. Dozens more were wounded. This is Valerie Shashkov, an 84-year-old who had to have glass shards

removed from his face after Russian strikes shattered the windows of his home. It hit me like a smash. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't figure out what had happened. That blood was flowing all around me, you see. I looked up and then there was another strike. The violence came at the end of a 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce that each side accused the other of violating.

On Thursday, Russian officials said a Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea port of Tuopsa killed two people, including a teenage girl. The strikes also triggered. a massive fire at one of Russia's largest oil refineries. In New Jersey, progressive Democrat, Anna Lillia, Maria, has won a special election to fill the House seat left vacant by New Jersey Governor Mikey Cheryl. Mejia's victory further narrows Republicans' razor-thin majority. When she's sworn in, House Speaker Mike Johnson will only be able to afford a defection by a single Republican in order to pass legislation on a party.

line vote. Mejia is the daughter of a Colombian garment worker and a Dominican laborer and a former union organizer who served as a national political director for Bernie Sanders in 2020. On the campaign trail, she called for the abolition of ICE and was the only candidate to say she believed Israel committed genocide in Gaza. 80% of Gaza is in rubble. Can we agree that that is wrong? Can we agree that cutting the yellow electricity to water desalination plants is not only wrong, but it goes against the Geneva Convention, and it is a war crime. The House of Representatives has approved a short-term extension of FISA, that's the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, over the objections of privacy advocates who warn it allows

the government to conduct warrantless domestic surveillance on a massive scale. Without congressional action, the program was due to expire in three days. The White House and House Speaker Mike Johnson were seeking an 18-month extension, but those plans were thwarted when a block of conservatives revolted against the bill. It also faces opposition from some Democrats, including California Congressmember O'Connor, who said in a social media post-Republicans called lawmakers back at midnight for a, quote, secret vote to reauthorize FISA while America sleeps. This would give Donald Trump the power to surveil or collect data on Americans through a backdoor.

There really is not a philosophical debate here. A yes vote is a vote to give Donald Trump more power over American citizens. A no vote is a vote to stand up to Donald Trump. Every Democrat should be a no on the reauthorization of FISA. The House of Representatives has passed a resolution to extend temporary protected status, that's TPS, for 330,000 Haitian immigrants in the United States after the Trump administration canceled the program. Ten Republicans joined House Democrats in Thursday's 224 to 204 vote.

The bill was sponsored by Massachusetts Democrat Ayanna Presley. Ahead of Thursday's vote, she told the story of Rebecca, a Haitian immigrant who moved to Massachusetts, After the devastating earthquake in 2010, results in the deaths of an estimated 220,000 people and what was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. She witnessed the rise in gangs and saw her beautiful country overtaken by political violence and instability. After surviving, multiple kidnapping attempts, out of desperation, Rebecca made the same decision that, any of us would make in her position. She immigrated to the United States.

She quickly enrolled in school to learn English. She obtained a job to support herself and her family. Now in 2006, thanks to her legal status under TPS, Rebecca is a certified nursing assistant. A Senate version of the bill extending TPS for Haitians faces an uphill battle in the Senate, and the White House has promised to veto any such legislation. President Trump's repeatedly used racist rhetoric to lash out against Haitians. During the 2024 campaign, he amplified the unfounded lie that Haitians were eating pets,

cats and dogs, in Springfield, Ohio. The acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE has announced his resignation from the agency just one year after his appointment to oversee Trump's rapid expansion of nationwide ice raids, immigration, detention, and deportations. Todd Lyons, who is never confirmed by the Senate, says he's stepping down in May. During his tenure, he repeatedly defended ICE's tactics as the agency faced mounting scrutiny over its agent's violent crackdown on protesters and dehumanizing treatment of immigrants. In Minnesota, Hennepin County prosecutors have charged an ICE agent with felony assault

for allegedly pointing his gun at the heads of two people who were in a car beside him. Earlier this year, the agent, Gregory Donald Morgan Jr., reportedly had tried to pass their vehicle while illegally driving his unmarked SUV on a Minneapolis highway. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the charges on Thursday. Mr. Morgan's conduct was extremely dangerous. Driving while pointing a weapon out of your moving vehicle at the victims who were in another moving vehicle could have led to yet another disastrous incident in a community that has already suffered to many. This is the first criminal case against an ICE agent involved in Trump's so-called Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.

During the crackdown earlier this year, federal agents deployed to the Twin Cities shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renee Good, and Alex Preti. In related news, Minneapolis resident, Alia Raman, has filed a personal injury claim against DHS. after ICE agents in Minneapolis smashed her car window, dragged her out, and detained her while she was heading to a doctor's appointment in January. Ayurama will join us from Minneapolis later in the broadcast. Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to cut about $200 million in public safety funding to Houston, Dallas, and Austin. if their local law enforcement agencies refuse to collaborate with ICE in the arrest and detention of immigrants over minor infractions such as traffic stops. This week, Abbott's office reportedly notified Houston officials the state would be withdrawing some $110 million in public safety grants after the city adopted an ordinance that limits police's cooperation with ICE. The FBI's arrested a man who was shot by ICE agents in Patterson, California last week,

and charged him with assaulting a federal officer. Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez was taken into custody after being discharged from the hospital Monday where he underwent several surgeries from multiple gunshot wounds, including to the jaw. Anandez reportedly attempted to drive away when federal officers surrounded his car during a traffic stop while he was on his way to work. He later said he feared the officers were going to shoot him. Meanwhile, in Texas, advocates are demanding the release of a longtime court interpreter and the only licensed Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu interpreter in the state,

who is detained by ICE last month. Minubatra has lived in the United States for over 35 years. She fled India following pogroms against six in Punjab. and arrived in the United States in 1991. Her attorney's fear Batra could be deported to a country she has no ties to under Trump's so-called third country agreements. Batra has spoken out against the inhumane conditions of her detention at the Elvay ICE jail in Raymondville, Texas.

In Virginia, police say former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax fatally shot his estranged wife, Serena Fairfax, before taking his own life. The couple's teenage children were home at the time of the murder suicide, which took place two weeks before Fairfax faced a court-ordered deadline to move out of their home. In 2019, two women publicly accused Fairfax of sexual assault. And Hampshire College, a private liberal arts college, and Amherst, Massachusetts, has announced it will close by the end of 2026 following years of financial struggles. The Huron Consulting Group has warned over 400 of the nation's 1,700 private nonprofit four-year colleges and universities are at risk of closing or having to merge within the next

10 years. This comes amidst growing attacks on education by the Trump administration and decades of skyrocketing tuition costs, declining student enrollment, and a student debt crisis. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy Now, DemocracyNow.compromot.org. Coming up, we go to Beirut, Lebanon, and also look at a possible new round of talks between the United States and Iran. Stay with us. Stemort, Times of Love.

by Las Cafeteras, here actually in our Democracy Now studio in New York in 2017. I'm where they usually are, and that is in Los Angeles. Yes, Democracy Now is in Los Angeles because the new documentary has had its theatrical release in New York and now Los Angeles and the Bay Area called, Steal This Story, Please. Today, I'll be at the Lemley Royal at 110 to do a Q&A after the film premieres. It's a fundraiser for the Pacifica radio station, KPFK, here in Los Angeles. As the film travels the country, Democracy Now is helping with fundraisers for public media throughout the United States.

This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the Warren Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. We begin looking at the latest on Iran. The stakes could not be higher as the fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has not yet led to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the economically vital waterway for economies all over the world. On Thursday, President Trump repeated his claim a deal to end the war in Iran as very close and that direct talks with Iran could resume in Islamabad Pakistan as soon as this weekend. This comes after a high-level Pakistani delegation visited Tehran on Wednesday, seeking to lay the groundwork for more negotiations. A spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry said he remains skeptical of the United States. It remains to be seen to what extent the other side is truly serious about the claims they've made regarding diplomacy.

It is the Americans who must prove their seriousness. because they have not only failed to adhere to their commitments many times, but have also fundamentally destroyed the negotiating table. The Pentagon, meanwhile, is surging thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, including an additional 6,000 sailors and aviators joining the USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier Battle Group. During a news briefing at the Pentagon Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegeseth directed some, of his comments to the Iranians. We are reloading with more power than ever before and better intelligence, even more

importantly, better intelligence than ever before as you expose yourself with your movement to our watchful eye. We are locked and loaded on your critical dual-use infrastructure, on your remaining power generation, and on your energy industry. We'd rather not have to do it, but we're ready to go at the command of our president and at the push of a button. For more on the latest developments in a very pivotal moment for this war, we're joined by Ali Vez. He's in Geneva in Switzerland, senior advisor to the president of the International Crisis Group, where he's also the Iran Project Director. He wrote a piece earlier this month for the New York Times headlined, Trump has lost control of events in Iran.

Iran. Aliya, thanks for joining us again. Do you feel that way still? What is your understanding of talks again happening in Pakistan, the significance of the Pakistani delegation going to Tehran? It's great to see you. Yes, I do believe that the reason the president wanted an off-fram was because he did realize that he had lost control of this war, that he went in with unrealistic expectations that this would be easy, and in a matter of a few days, the Iranians would fold and will capitulate to his terms. Five weeks later, he's nowhere closer to Iranian capitulation that was the case at the beginning of this war. And in fact, now the Iranians even have more leverage in the form of the control over the straight to four months. My understanding is that the talks in Islamabad didn't really go that well,

because neither side was willing to make the necessary concessions that are required. to reach a compromise because they both believe that they still have the upper hand. And the Pakistani mediators are now trying to negotiate some sort of a framework, a memorandum of understanding that would at least outline what are the key areas that they would have to negotiate. So with that, they would be able to extend the ceasefire. That's the objective, which at this point remains a very moderate ambition. I would say. So can you respond to Pete Hegseth saying the U.S. is locked and loaded?

And this back and forth between the president of the United States, President Trump, and the Pope, Pope Leo, who's on a trip through Africa, who first said, you know, Blessed be the peacemakers, and then said the world is being ravaged by a handful of tyrants, yet it's held together by a multiple, by a multitude of supportive brothers and sisters. Well, first of all, it's, I don't know what the president expects the Pope to say other than talking about peace and not being a warmonger. I mean, it's, it's really stunning to expect the Pope to say anything other than that. But look, the reality is, yes, the U.S. might be locked and loaded, and the U.S. is sending more troops to the region, and the Iranians are paying attention to what the U.S. does and not what it says. So no doubt that we might be, at some point, returning to a hot war. But the same applies to the Iranians, that they too

are locked and loaded, and they too have demonstrated that they have preserved a degree of retaliatory capacity that would be pretty problematic for the United States. And they still have cards to play. They can still, in addition to the straight to foremost, shut down, bubble and up the access to the Red Sea, where Saudi Emirati oil is being exported to Asia. And that would create a major economic shock for the world and for the United States as well. So yes, both sides still have cards to play. Both sides can still inflict pain on one another. But at the end of the day, they will have to go to the negotiating table and compromise. So why not do it now? So let's talk about the nuclear program. Hegset said the war department will ensure

Iran never has a nuclear weapon, never. Hamini, who was assassinated in this joint U.S. Israeli airstrike at the start of the war, had issued a fatwa forbidding nuclear weapons under Islamic law. However, Iranian officials have openly acknowledged their capacity to build such weapons if they choose. Can you respond to what the back and forth is right now with President Trump said they are agreeing with the United States? What exactly do you think Iran is agreeing to? And how far will these negotiations the next round after the first collapse go? Look, the Iranians have been saying for years that they don't want nuclear weapons. The former Supreme Leader had a religious edict at FAPA against nuclear weapons.

In the opening pages of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranians committed to not developing a nuclear weapon. So that is not a new thing. Then that's not a new concession to President Trump. The question has always been, would Iranians accept to curb their nuclear activities for a long-year-old? time and subject them to international monitoring, and in return, would the U.S. be willing to provide them with economic incentives and sanctions relief? We had a deal along those lines. The president withdrew from it, and now has difficulty getting back into a deal that does the same thing. We're now talking about the administration asking for restrictions on Iran's

enrichment program for 20 years. The most important restrictions in the 2015 nuclear deal, were for 15 years. So did we go through all of this maximum pressure that really devastated the Iranian middle class and now two rounds of war in less than a year costing the United States hundreds of billions of dollars to add just an additional five years on restrictions on Iran's nuclear program? It really doesn't make any sense. But again, at the end of a day, if the United States wants Iran to have a peaceful nuclear

program. The best solution is a negotiated agreement which would reestablish international monitoring over that program and would basically impose certain restrictions on it. Not completely shut it down because that would be a humiliating outcome for the Iranians. And you know, Amy, unfair deals beget unfaithful deal makers. And you definitely don't want that with a country that has already learned how to enrich uranium and has what it takes to develop. nuclear weapons if the political will is there. Ali, as in a moment, we're going to go to Beirut, but I wanted to ask you how the 10-day Israel-Lebanon ceasefire will impact the second round of negotiations between Iran and the United

States. Well, that was a necessary condition for the talks to move forward, but it is not sufficient. As I said, it would require the United States to step aside from maximumist demands. it would require the Iranians to offer so flexibility in order to reach at least a framework agreement. But without a ceasefire in Lebanon, that would not have been possible. So this is a good development, but it's not enough to reach a deal. And the significance of the House and the Senate not passing a war powers resolution around Iran as we wrap up? Well, that clearly demonstrates that this presidency is completely unchecked, and the president can wage wars that are illegal, not just according to international law, but even according to U.S. Constitution, because it doesn't have the consent of Congress.

And it's really a pity that Congress cannot assert its authority in a case where American lives are at stake in addition to the economic cost. for American taxpayers. Ali Baez, I want to thank you very much for being with us. Senior advisor to the president of the International Crisis Group, where he's also the Iran Project Director. We'll link to your piece in the New York Times. Headline, Trump has lost control of events in Iran. He's speaking to us from Geneva, Switzerland.

This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org, the Warren Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. As a 10-day ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Lebanon, major questions remain over what happens next. President Trump announced the deal on Thursday. It's very exciting because it's 48 years. We're going to be meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, as you know, and the president of Lebanon. And I had a great talk with both of them today. They're going to be having a ceasefire, and that'll include Hezbollah.

Over the past seven weeks, Israel's killed nearly 2,200 people in Lebanon, including 172 children. Over a million Lebanese have been displaced. Forty thousand homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged. Just before the ceasefire went into effect, Israeli airstrikes in the city of Tyre killed at least 13 people. Isbala is not a party to the ceasefire agreement. While the group says it'll observe the ceasefire, it's opposing the Israeli plan to kill. keep occupying a large swath of southern Lebanon. Some residents of southern Lebanon have returned home to find their neighborhoods

have been turned into rubble. There's destruction and it's unlivable. Unlivable. We're taking our things and leaving again. May God protect these young people. May God grant us relief and end this whole thing permanently, not temporarily. So we can return to our homes and livelihoods. God protect everyone. Many in Lebanon have questioned whether Israel abide by the ceasefire. After

Lebanon ceasefire was reached in November 2024, Israel repeatedly violated it almost on a daily basis. According to the UN, Israel violated that ceasefire more than 15,000 times killing at least 370 people. We go now to Beirut, where we're joined by Karim Shahab, a Beirut-based journalists reporting on Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq for the Associated Press. Thanks so much for being with us, Kareem again. What has been the response to the announcement of the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire? Well, there's certainly been a collective sigh of relief. This was a very, very intense war.

It happened, the escalation happened so rapidly. It didn't sort of stretch out over a seven, eight-month period like the last one. People, of course, are very skeptical of how long this, you know, this temporary ceasefire could last, whether even, you know, last all 10 days and whether it'll be renewed. People definitely want a long-term solution and they want some level of stability. Lebanon's a country that has gone through so many crises and wars in its short and troubled history. That being said, the main division right now, the main dividing point among the Lebanese is really who is who is to take credit for this ceasefire. Was it the Lebanese government that held direct talks with the Israelis for

the first time since 1993 on Tuesday, or was it Iran, which included Lebanon and its set of conditions in its stocks with Washington? People are, either way, people are, you know, visiting their homes, assessing the damages. I was just in the southern suburbs earlier. Widespread destruction everywhere there. People are trying to basically see if their houses can be fixed or not. But there's a lot of cautious optimism. But for now, people are at least relieved that there might not be strikes, at least at the same caliber as there was just yesterday. Can you talk about the large swath of southern Lebanon that Israeli troops continue to occupy up to the Latani River and blowing up the last bridge over the Latani River, the significance of this? Early on in this war, the Israeli military announced an intention to create what they call a security zone, which stretches from the UN Blue Line, which divides the two countries, all the way to the Latani River, which is almost some 20, some 20,

miles away from the border. The Israelis were not able to push all the way to that, to that de facto border, the Latani River. However, they do control large swaths of southern Lebanon. And it seems there's a huge emphasis on the southeast near Mount Hermann. This is very close to the Israeli annexed Golan Heights, which they took from Syria, and of course the Syrian border. It seems on the eve before the ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said to, you know, to expand eastward. And that's what we saw. The Israeli military and Hezbollah militants have been fighting in very strategic hilltop towns that overlook the border, including in Bintesh Bail and Iqiam. And this is a very interesting sticking point because the Israelis said they will not withdraw from what they call the security zone in southern Lebanon. But at the same time, there has been ongoing fighting until the, you know, the ceasefire went to effect.

In Bintas Bail, for example, the Israeli military has, you know, the town largely surrounded, but there has Malah fighters in there. And the question is that, you know, what's going to happen and they're going forward? And of course, with this kind of military mobilization and this ground invasion in Lebanon, many Lebanon do fear this could lead to some sort of long-term, even permanent occupation, similar to that from 1982 until the year 2000. Now, the Lebanese government says that as negotiations continue, that they're hoping to as soon as possible get some sort of Israeli withdrawal. But at the moment, this is not part of the 10-day truths,

and it is unclear when this will happen. This is Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, confirming the Israeli government has agreed to this 10-day ceasefire. In these peace talks, we have two fundamental demands. First, the disarmament of Hezbollah. Second, a sustainable peace agreement. Peace through strength. In order to achieve the ceasefire, Hezbollah insisted on two conditions. The first condition was that Israel must withdraw from all Lebanese.

territory up to the international border. The second condition was a ceasefire based on a quiet for quiet arrangement. I did not agree to either of these, and indeed neither of these conditions is being met. So that's Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Hasbalah official told you the ceasefire was a result of Iran's negotiations with the United States in which Iran insisted Lebanon be included? Can you talk about the significance of this and what the real value of these diplomatic talks between Israel and Lebanon is orchestrated by the White House, but not including Hezbollah. So this is definitely a major sticking point here in Lebanon. So yes, that's right. We did speak with Hezbollah parliamentarian, Hassan Fadlallah,

who, like Hezbollah and their supporters, credit Iran for their leverage, including Lebanon, and their talks with the United States. Now, when Pakistan announced the truths between Iran and the U.S. They did mention that Lebanon and other regional wars that have been a sort of a spillover from this conflict would be included. However, this is something that Israel rejected and proceeded with bombing Lebanon.

Lebanon at the same time was also horrified by the idea of Iran negotiating on its behalf and therefore tried to open a diplomatic track of its own. And that's when the talks started to take place. Now, the question is really what caused the ceasefire? What was the main turning point? Hezbollah says that the Iranians spoke with the United States and informed them at dawn hours before Trump's announcement.

However, the Lebanese say that taking these talks away from, you know, Iran kind of holding onto the Lebanese position, talking to the Israelis helped play a role, as Lebanon had been trying to use diplomacy for a ceasefire. the beginning of the war and early March, is just that the Americans and the Israelis have not necessarily responded to them favorably from that point. It could be a combination of the two. We don't know that. What we do know is that there have been efforts to bring about more direct talks between Lebanese and the Israelis. And our understanding is that the Lebanese present when speaking with Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to speak directly to Benjamin Netanyahu,

and that appeared to be something that they were trying to sort out before the ceasefire announcement. And he didn't do that, which also indicates that he is trying to find a way to appease his divided support base in Lebanon, many who are not in favor of developing any sort of diplomatic ties with the Israelis or high-level direct talks at this point in time. Karim Shaheyev, I want to thank you very much for joining us from Beirut. Karim is a journalist reporting on Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq for the Associated Press. to look more at the latest developments in Lebanon and the region were joined by Rami Khori, Palestinian-American journalist and distinguished public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut. He's also a non-resident senior fellow at the Arab Center, Washington, D.C.

Rami, we began talking about the Iran-U.S. second round of negotiations, went to this latest news of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, though Hezbollah wasn't a party to those talks, your overall comments on what's happening right now in the region, where you think it's all going? Well, there's so many different dynamics going on at the same time within individual countries, among countries in the region, and between the region and the global power, especially the United States, but also China and others, and Israel, of course. My comments are that one of the striking things about this situation is that we've seen now in the last six weeks, Iran and Hezbollah almost single-handedly checking, not defeating, but checking the two biggest military powers in the region, which is the U.S. and Israel. They forced them into two ceasefires, one in Iran, and now.

one in Lebanon. Now, this is not a finished story. This is still going on. This may collapse and the war may resume. But the fact that the U.S. and Israel have been forced to enter these ceasefires, I think, is a sign of the evolving balance of power across the region. And you're going to see this reflected, for instance, in many Arab countries, who are especially in the energy-producing Gulf region who are going to recalibrate their relations. They'll still be very close friends with the U.S. buy a lot of weapons and buy a lot

of tech stuff. But they're also going to recalibrate to have more meaningful ties with Iran, with Turkey, with China, with Russia and other people

like that. So we're seeing a slow motion evolution of the entire balance of power in the region, with the background being that the overwhelming majority of people in the Arab region and Islamic Turkey and Iran, about three quarters of a billion people, the overwhelming majority of them see Israel and the U.S. as their main security threat. So something historic is going on here in slow motion. And how does Rami Khore these negotiations between Israel, the United States, Iran and Lebanon, impact the current situation in Gaza. Talk also about the role of the

other armed groups like Hamas, the Houthis, if you can talk about what's happening across the region. Yes. The Palestine-Israel conflict remains the starting point for all of these other conflicts. So Iran and Israel, Hezbollah's birth, Israel, Hezbollah's. all of these tensions and conflicts ultimately derived from the unresolved battle between Palestinian nationalism and Zionism and the state of Israel. So it's crucial for any attempt to get a permanent peaceful situation across the region in the Arab countries, Iran and Israel. It's crucial to address the Palestine issue, which means right now looking at Gaza.

Now, Gaza is in a situation of reconfigured colonial domination by the United States and Israel, with carpetbaggers from around the world like Tony Blair and others. I call it the joint venture of the carpetbaggers and the carpet bombers. They've all come together on this to dominate Palestine, destroy Gaza, and now they're looking to do the same thing in Lebanon. But the fact that the Iranians were able to pressure the Americans, to pressure Netanyahu, to enter into the ceasefire is a significant sign that the group of movements and countries that have been involved in the so-called access of resistance, which pushes back against Israeli hegemony and American militarism, that group of actors is still effective. dominate the region, but they're strong enough to do what they've just done, which is forced the Americans to force the Israelis to enter into a ceasefire that the Israelis did not want. The Israelis wanted to keep bombing and attacking and occupying and creating more buffer zones. But they've done that. This is the seventh time. Seventh time since the late 60s that Israel

goes into Lebanon militarily in a big way, occupies land, moves millions of people around. and every time they've had to pull out because of the resistance they've met and because they could not achieve their goals, which is an acquiescent passive Lebanese state that agrees to be a vassal state of Israel, and they still refuse to do it. So finding the negotiated mechanism to arrive at a point where the Lebanese have their sovereign rights and security protected and the Israelis have the same rights,

that's the big challenge that lies ahead. it can only be done if it is accompanied by a serious effort to resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict on a permanent and fair basis. Rami Kori, we're going to thank you for being with us, Palestinian-American journalist, distinguished public policy fellow at the American University of Beirut, also non-resident senior fellow at the Arab Center, Washington, D.C. When we come back, we'll be joined by Alia Rahman. She's filed a personal injury claim against the Department of Homeland Security after ICE agents in Minneapolis smashed her car window, dragged her out, and detained her while she was heading to the doctor.

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studio. This is Democracy Now, Democracy Now.org. I'm Amy Goodman. We end today's show with Minneapolis resident Alia Rahman. On Thursday, along with her legal team, Alia filed a tort claim against the Department of Homeland Security

over her treatment at the hands of ICE officers in January. When she was on her way to the doctor, instead came upon a street blocked by federal agents. Her window was smashed, her seat belt cut. She was violently pulled out of her car. I'll you describe some of what happened next in testimony before Congress in February. I was carried face down through the street by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a brain injury and was disabled. I now cannot lift my arms normally.

I was never asked for ID, never told I was under arrest, never read my rights, and never tried. charged with a crime. Alia Rahman was brought to an ice jail inside Minneapolis's Whipple Federal Building, where she was denied medical care. She eventually fell unconscious, woke up at a hospital. In February, she attended President Trump's State of the Union address as a guest of Minneapolis Congress member Ilhan Omar. Alia was violently removed from the gallery and spent several hours in jail, all for silently challenging Trump during his speech, challenging him by standing up quietly.

Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress and the Senate were standing up, cheering, sitting down, standing up, sitting down, cheering. cheering. She just stood up quietly before she was taken out. We're joined now by Alia Rahman in Minneapolis. We're also joined by her attorney, Jessica Gingold, Senior Counsel at the MacArthur Justice Center. She's joining us from Chicago. Welcome you both to Democracy Now. Alia, we have followed you on this journey. After you were ripped out of your car, after you were arrested in Minneapolis there, and then when you were taken out of the House chamber, when President Trump was giving his state of the union address, can you talk about the claim your filing? I can. So this is an FTCA claim that I will let Jessica talk about the kind of legal details of.

and it is the tool that is available to me. So I am doing this because this is a tool for accountability that someone like me can actually use against an ICE officer and the American public has not seen any more accountability for the militarized violence enacted on our own people at the hands of DHS than we have for the violence in the war you've spent much of this show talking about. And I'm doing this because in the months since I first walked into this studio

we have not only not seen accountability but we've seen ICE wage disinformation campaigns against its victims and we've seen this agency seek to expand in the United States buying warehouses to house people and auditioning for a role in everyday life at our airports at Marine Corps graduations

trying to be normalized and to me it is not normal to have an agency that is unaccountable for killing people handing out water at the airport, the same agency that weaponizes thirst at the border. I don't want to see these people at the polls. So for me, talking about this to the American public, talking about the type of claim that I hope Jessica will help me with a bit here, my hope is that Americans can see that we have an option that might someday make mass acts of racial violence

seem too expensive for these folks, even if they don't share our values. Jessica Gingold, explain exactly what this claim is, and would you describe it as suing the federal government? I would describe it as the first step in suing the federal government, and thank you, Amy, for having us on today. An FTCA claim is our tool for accountability. It is a, basically, we file a complaint with, the agency that details what they did to her and how that harmed her. They have six months to respond to us. And after those six months, we can then go to federal court, which we have every intention of doing. The law underlying this is Minnesota torts. So these are just, we're just

saying simple things like what they did was wrong and they should be held legally accountable. They battered Alia, they assaulted Alia, they were negligent in their medical care for Alia. All of those things are illegal. And this is our tool for making sure that they have to pay for that. I mean, what you have been through Alia, the video went viral of what took place. I hate to make you relive this. But it is so shocking what took place when you were on your way to a doctor's appointment. Can you explain once again what happened and then take us on this journey because then you went to the

State of the Union as a guest of your Congress member of Ilhan Omar, but start in that car. The immigration agent smashed your window? They did. My driver's side window was actually open for them to use to open the car if they needed to. But yes, they smashed my passenger side window and yelled to both get out of the car and drive. So I was taken out of that car. You can see details for those watching in the complaint that we have made available pieces of that for the press to look at. And so I was taken to the Whipple Center. The whole time I was telling them that I am a disabled person. I had been on my way to my 39th appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic here in Hemp and County. I was not given the disability accommodations I needed

instead of a mobility aid like my cane or wheelchair I was dragged around by my shoulders until I finally was able to get a wheelchair and eventually went unconscious from assault wounds in my cell. I was removed from the detention center unconscious by ambulance. I woke up in the emergency room in Hennepin County Hospital, the one I was actually trying to go to that day

and it absolutely has been a journey since then. And, you know, I'm not someone who even likes my picture taken or posts on social media, but it became clear very quickly that this had gone viral. And to me, that put a responsibility in my lap. And so really the next thing was that I was asked to testify in Congress about what I saw inside detention, about the experience on the street that you've mentioned. And really, people saw that video. But what was important to me was to realize that I had actually made it out of detention.

I was able to come home. I speak English and people want to hear my story, and that is not the case. None of those factors are the case for so many folks who have suffered at the hands of DHS and frankly who suffer in our prisons every day. So I said yes to testifying in Congress. And since then, my life has been full of harassment, full of targeting. It's also been full of support and asks from people I don't even know to fight. So I was invited to the State of the Union. And, you know, there isn't really much more to the story than what you've said. I had stood up and sat down a number of times that night, just like you would see any congressperson do down below. The folks, the guests in the gallery, do the same thing. I was arrested, and ultimately, you know, the courts said that there was nothing they really could charge me for. Because, again, no sign, no sound, not blocking anyone's view or the hallway. You know, and, you know, yes, thanks for having us back. And I'm so happy to be here in this circumstance, because,

because the night that I was held overnight in Capitol Police headquarters, they essentially, you know, uncuffed me from the wall, discharged me. I ate three slices of bread and I came into your studio to talk to you in the same outfit. I was in the night before because I don't believe these things can stand. We can't have this. So when you were in the car and they dragged you out, you were shouting, I am disabled, I am disabled. and the agent said to you too late, too late, this was in the car in Minneapolis.

Yeah, Jessica's confirmed for me that they actually said too effing late. I won't say the real phrase because I know we can't do that here live. Put, yeah, grab my body and drag me out. And so, you know, it looks like they actually escalated. You were also taken out of the gallery as you stood up and sat down like so many hundreds of people. the House chamber at the State of the Union. Yes, and in the gallery, you know, because you're not a lot of phones in there, so we don't have video, but there were actually at least four people who attempted to intervene in the

way I was being handled. A doctor who was familiar with my case, Dr. Nita Patel was up there, an attorney who said, I really have some questions about what I'm seeing, a pastor, a community organizer, and they were all told that if they tried to accompany me, they would also be dragged out. Alia Rahman, I thank you for being with us, Minneapolis resident who's filed an FTCA complaint. That's a Federal Tort Claims Act complaint with the Department of Homeland Security over her violent arrest by federal immigration agents. And Jessica Gingold's Senior Counsel at the MacArthur Justice Center. Thanks both for joining us.

And that does it for today's show. I'll be appearing at screenings of the new documentary about democracy now. Steal this story, please. Here on the West Coast over the next week, it's continuing to play at the IFC in New York. Today at 1.10 and at 710, I'll be at the Lemley Royal in West Los Angeles at a benefit for Pacifica radio station, KPFK. The evening may be sold out, but walk-ups are welcome at the 110 benefit screening. There will also be a dinner benefit before the 7-10 screening of Steal the Story, Please. And I'll be doing the Q&A after the film with the co-director of Steal This Story, Please, Carl Deal.

On Saturday through Wednesday, I'll be in the San Francisco Bay Area with post-screening Q&As at the Roxy, San Francisco's Mission District, the Arialto Elmwood in Berkeley, the Smith-Refell Film Center in San Rafael, the Rofel Cinema, Sebastopol, and beyond. You can go to DemocracyNow.org and see all the places I'll be. I look forward to seeing folks there. This is Democracy Now. I'm Amy Goodman in Los Angeles.