Democracy Now! Monday, March 30, 2026

0:00From New York, this is democracy now. 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. An estimated 8 million Americans took to the streets Saturday in more than 3,300 no-kings protest nationwide against President Trump. Democracy now was in the streets of the Twin Cities, Denver and New York. While here, some of the voices, the New York police thwart an assassination attempt against prominent Palestinian-American activists Nadine Kiswani, founder of the group

1:05within 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 are ready face. Nadine 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 work press is written in all major languages, who is protecting it. Where are the regulations and international laws? All that and more coming up. Welcome to democracynowdemocracynow.org, the Warren Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. An estimated eight million people took to the streets of cities across 50 U.S. states

2:11and 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 Pretty in January. Headlines, will 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. is really war and 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 hub, Carg Island. Shortly after his comments, the price of oil surged to $116 a barrel.

3:15Separately, President Trump spoke to reporters aboard Air Force One and boasted about regime change in Iran. President Trump's comments come as 3500 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 Journal is reporting, President Trump's considering a military operation to seize nearly 1,000 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

4:19of Iranian territory, which, of course, is nothing more than a wish, we announced that the warriors of Islam have been waiting for such actions for a long time to prove that aggression and occupation will not result in anything other than humiliating captivity and this amendment and disappearance of the aggressors. Sent Com says more than 300 U.S. troops have been wounded in the Iran war so far 13 U.S. 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 217 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. Also destroyed the U.S. military's E3 century radar aircraft. The first time the $300 million plane has been lost in combat.

5:24On 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 Vladimir Zelensky signed air defense cooperation agreements with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates 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 drone similar to ones used by Russia against Ukraine. On Sunday, Zelensky also visited Jordan for security talks. And Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in southern Lebanon Saturday killing Ale Shueb of Al-Munar TV, reporter Fatima Fattuni of Al-Mayyadin TV and her brother freelance cameraman, Mohammad Fattuni.

6:25Israel's military said it targeted Shueb, accusing him of being a Hezbollah intelligence operative without providing evidence. Israel made no mention of the two other journalists killed, protesters gathered in martyrs square and Beirut Saturday holding photos of the dead journalists killed in the Israeli air strike. The important thing 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.

7:27Another peacekeeper was critically injured on Saturday. The World Health Organization said nine paramedics were killed and 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 ordered 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 and two checkpoints in Kanyunis 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. brokerage ceasefire with Hamas came into effect last November. This is the mother of Samar al-Faisus, who was killed in Israeli air strikes on Sunday.

8:34This 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 child, this child? Two and a half years old in 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 Sepulcher 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 Sepulcher. The Latin Patriarchate 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 to grave precedent. EU foreign policy chief, Kajakalis, called it a violation of religious freedom.

9:39Following 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 Hegseth 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 Hegseth 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 and charged 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

10:43against Nadine 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 Nadine Kiswani later in the broadcast. President Trump sent a brag to reporters. His planned White House ballroom is, quote, a head 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. South 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

11:48offender Jeffrey Epstein. Survivors filed the lawsuit last October, alleging Bank of America over look 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 ex-trafficking operation, but chose profit over protecting the victims, unquote. It's the 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

12:49Security 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, hoping to close the looming budget deficit as Mayor Mamdani seeks to establish universal free early child care, 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 this 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 DemocracyNow, democracynow.org, the Warren Peace Report, I'm Amy Goodman.

13:53An estimated 8 million people took to the streets Saturday in thousands of no-kings 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 Pretty in January. Performers and speakers in St. Paul included Senator Bernie Sanders, Bruce Springsteen, 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.

14:56I 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. Because in Minnesota, we are built different. We do not coward to police.

15:57We are Minnesota strong. What we are seeing right now is bigger than what is happening here. Operation Metro Search was just the tip of the Isingberg. 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-state 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, a dairy farm.

17:00This is 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. And we are a country that will fight peacefully, powerfully, and persistently to protect our democracy. I love you, Minnesotans, thank you so much for being out here. And now it is my honor to introduce a lifelong hero of mine, the incredible brave, courageous Jane Fonda.

18:03Hi everybody, Becca Good, the wife of Rene Good has asked me to read a statement which I am honored to do. Hello, 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. But I know I am not alone in feeling in awe of your generosity. The reality is I am so heartbroken, I miss my wife.

19:04The 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 Niki Ma Levy Armstrong, Civil Rights Attorney, Activist and someone standing firmly against authoritarianism, tyranny and fascism of the Trump administration. I want to lift up one of my comrades, Monique Colors Doty, co-founder of Black Lives Matter and Minnesota.

20:05Also co-founder along with myself and J. Lonnie Hussein of the National Target Boycott. Myself along with Monique and other Black women are also co-organizers of the city's church protest that took place on January 18th during Dr. King Weekend. There are 39 of us right now, the richest 39 who are being charged by the Trump administration for standing up for freedom, justice and equality. We need to stand behind those of us who are calling out ice, fascism, tyranny and authoritarianism on behalf of the people, standing up for immigrant neighbors, standing up for Renee Good, standing

21:07up for Alex Prattie and calling for justice. It's my honor to introduce to you a good friend of mine who's also one of my heroes. Please welcome the great Joan Bias to the stage. I'm honored to be 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.

22:14We were lied to about the war in Iraq. And we are being lied to today about the war in Iran. This war must end immediately. In 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. One month ago, Trump and his partner, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, started

23:15a war 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 untrained aggressive thugs to do damage to Minnesota, it was you, Minnesota, who stood up for your neighbors, who stood up for your decency, who stood up for kindness, and at this moment that we are still in, when

24:20democracy 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. In 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, Minnesota was an inspiration to the entire country, your strength, and your commitment told us that this is still America.

25:25And 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 were in a good mother of three brutally murdered, Alex Prety, 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 the glade avenue, a city of flame fought fire and ice, nothing I kept by his boots, King Trump's private army from the Dages, guns

26:36belted to their coats, came to Minneapolis to enforce their law, or so their storey goes. Against smoking, irreverable, it's well-bounded on the early light, citizens stood for justice, their voices ran through the night, and there were bloody footprints, where mercy should Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis in St. Paul, Minnesota, at the flagship No Kings protest just miles from where immigration agents killed Renee Good and Alex Prety in January. When we come back, we go to No Kings protest in New York in Denver, but first more of Bruce Springsteen.

28:02From Spederal Thugs beat up on his face and his chest, and then we heard the gunshots, Bruce Springsteen performing streets of Minneapolis at the No Kings 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 Kings protest, an estimated eight 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

29:02in over 3,300 cities, towns, villages, and hamlets, and Denver, Colorado protesters, included longtime immigrant rights activists, Jeanette Disgierre, in December. She was released from an ICE jail after nearly 10 months in detention. My name is Jeanette Disgierre. I am a local and national immigrant rights organizer, and I am also a person impacted by this administration. I was in the Geoprocessing 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 level, are saying enough of President Trump.

30:02He'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 Disgierre recently released from an ICE jail. She was at the No Kings protest in Denver. We now turn to the No Kings protest here in New York Saturday. I'm Amy Goodman. This is democracy now, we're here, and the south end of Central Park, 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. We say no. Nelson time for Trump to go.

31:09Can you tell me your name and who you're with and why you're around here? Hi, I'm Leah Gidal-Lieberson. I'm here today with We The Students and YC. 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 a 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 I am 16 years old thank you what great I'm a junior in high school high school for environmental studies my name is Luna I'm with the RevComCore for the Man's Patient 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 and look they they are waging an imperialist war of aggression on

32:10Iran right now my name is Jean Burman my son says grandparents fight back dot work we are nonviolent that's why we abhor ice tactics and the January 6th insurrection we are law abiding that's why we detest the legal actions of Trump at Al 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 name is Leo my sign is about that about that was supposed to be like talking really loud like like my mega like here oh you have a megaphone and your sign says time to use our outside voices what's your outside voice

33:10sounding like sounding very loud yeah my name is Roxanne Griffith I'm out here because we have to get rid of this fascist regime this regime this cannot this cannot continue and my sign is we've got to get rid of this regime and it also with the voters oppression that they are working night and day on we've got a vote we've got a vote we've got a vote and we've got to stop what they're trying to do this vote while you still can it says and then your pin on your baseball caps 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 got to give it 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 a sign New York is full your sign says New York for all would have saved Neural Amin Shah Alam beloved father and husband killed when

34:12local police colluded with ice his is just a microcosm for the ways in which ice and you know our government as a whole has targeted immigrants and we've seen that it's actually moved beyond immigrants many American citizens have been targeted so like many people out here we're here advocating for a stop to ice and just an end to the targeting of immigration of immigrants and just our community members here and are you a student I am a student yes where are you a student I'm a student at Columbia University my name is Chase I'm a psychiatry resident I work and 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

35:15worse towards outcomes and impacts their care so this is from our union our resident union sign that we had we had a no-king stay sit in at our hospital and so I wanted to bring it to represent it it says patients deserve care without here so Norman Siegel legendary civil rights attorney from the New York Civil Liberties Union can you talk about what this day means it's a store 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 orocracy 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

36:22of young people here who are ready to pick up the torture freedom justice and equality for all we will prevail this is from the no-kings protest in New York one of 3300 protests in the largest day of protest in US history coming up the New York police say they've awarded a plot to assassinate the prominent Palestinian-American activist Nardine Casswani the co-founder of within our lifetime she joins us in studio stay with us it'll still shake you windows and rattle your walls for the times they are changing

37:29make some noise for Tom Morello come mothers and fathers throughout the land and don't criticize what you don't understand Minneapolis Minnesota is beyond your command your old road is rapidly ancient so get the way Roger's and Tom Morello performing the times they are changing at Saturday's no-kings protest in St. Paul this is democracy now democracy now dot or the warrant peace report I'm Amy Goodman a New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with plotting to fire bomb the home of a prominent Palestinian-American

38:33activist in Brooklyn Alexander Heifler is accused of assembling Molotov cocktails and planning an arson attack against the home of Nardine Casswani the co-founder of within our lifetime a Palestinian led community organization here in New York Nardine has led protests in support of Palestinians and against Israel's assault on Gaza the arrest follows a weeks long undercover investigation by the New York police department that started online investigators say Heifler is a member of the JDL 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

39:37in the complaint the undercover detective met in person 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 mayors or on Mamdani 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 Casswani welcome to democracy now you are the prominent Palestinian American activists that this man targeted a part of this offshoot of the JDL can you talk about when you learned of the possible assassination attempt thank you so much for having me Amy I learned of the the assassination attempt that a night before everyone else Thursday night around nine or 10 p.m. FBI JTTF joint

40:40terrorist task force I reached out to me and my family called us multiple times you know and let us know this 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 our 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 said 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 and undercover detective as they planned your assassination well before I knew it was the FBI I was getting no caller ID calls I thought it could have been Zionist that were coming to my front door that were calling me because I've

41:40been 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 Zionist 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 you know it's and why did you file that lawsuit it's a civil rights lawsuit under the anti-KKK act of 1871 and it you know alleges that they violated my civil rights by making it impossible for me to participate in public life they put an $1,800 bounty on my head saying we'll give $1,800

42:44to 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 fire bombed in his office that was the American Arab anti-discrimination committee in Los Angeles exactly and you know he died and his per his perpetrators suspects also fled to Israel just like this guy was planning to and were never you know held to justice nobody was ever jailed for that there was no accountability reading from the New York Times a JDO founded New York in the 60s by Maya Kahana a Brooklyn-born anti Arab militant who later moved to Israel and founded the Koch Party the party was later outlawed in Israel for inciting racism the Jewish defense league in the Koch Party have been connected to several high-profile acts of violence in 1994 Baruch Goldstein

43:45another Brooklyn-born man and JDO activist 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 JDO members were convicted of a plot to bomb a Los Angeles mosque and an office of Congressmember Daryl 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 US 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 a lot at the Palestine movement at

44:46Palestinians 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 a 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 feats 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 US 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

45:48distant 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 Nerdy and Kiswan 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 dot or the war and peace report I'm Amy Goodman and Israeli strike targeted a marked press car in Southern Lebanon Saturday killing all issue of a minor TV reporter Fatima Fattuni of Amaya Dean TV and her brother freelance cameraman Muhammad Fattuni Israel's military said it targeted Shoeb accusing him of being a Hisbalah intelligence operative without providing evidence Israel made no mention of the other two journalists that the military killed mourners and

46:53protestors gathered in martyrs square Lebanese president Joseph Iloon described the journalists as civilians doing their professional duty he condemned Israel's attack in a statement on social media that reddened park 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 Marco 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 forms the United Nations Human Rights Council the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international bodies we will not consider the repeated and delivered targeting of journalists is something normal and we will not access it the attack comes as the World Health Organization said nine paramedics were also killed

47:54Saturday 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 and three days now claiming that ambulances are his bullet 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 Shayib

48:54Fatmif Tune and her brother Hamad Ftune so they were basically in a car driving in the Jazeem 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 securities on in order to decisively short the threat of invasion and to push anti-tank

49:57missile fire away from our border. Layla 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 press and also 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 wander 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 who's politics and commitment to reporting was directly informed by their experience with Israeli violence and occupation and you know

51:00additionally I think it's important to note that these claims that these reporters were military targets you know they they mirror claim that we saw in Gaza when Israel targeted Anasashereet and Hussam Shabbat and Asmai al-Bool 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 that Israel has kind of targeted reporting and I think it's important as well to note in doing so what Israel is effectively doing is it's trying to break the will of the people of 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 it gives hope there 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

52:03you know break break the will of the people in in in a moment of of deep vulnerability. Israel's military wrote on social media quote eliminated for years al-Hasan Shabbat operated as Bala Radwan force 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 Shabbat spliced together and that's what it looks like on the left wearing a press uniform on the right a military uniform of his Bala but the image is a fake the idea of later admitted to Fox News the photograph on the right is photoshopped your response to this maybe it's it's you know we've seen it before remember when they assassinated it's a silent rule and in the rest of you know what did they say they they said that he was a part of an elite Hamas division and they they named the date of his entry into that

53:04division 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 the 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 their own the ground doing their doing their work we talked about the medics killed the last time you run 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 Gujarat Y5 in Zotin in Sarajee the the 15-year-old Jude Sleiman killed the long side did not have 19-year-old Haneja but on the road in a clearly marked EMS vehicle if you know the U.S. government doesn't force Israel to stop these crimes they will only continue Leila Eunice I want to thank you for joining us investigative journalist and writer based in Beirut

54:04this 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 Kadivar 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

55:05in their lifetime many of these wars even if we go back to 19th century Iran and Russia were with Britain then war one were two Iran Iraq war the June war with Israel and America and this current war many of the previous wars also lost resulted in the lost territory war one resulted in famine and in plague many Iranians died so these have been these have been significant wars and Iran is going through another war which is which has been an existential threat for the government many the head of the state Ali Hamini 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 in esfahan in khuzistan

56:09and it looks like that if maybe if the war was about the regime change it it is not anymore or maybe never it was 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 qadivar to president trump speaking on sunday in air force one the one regime was decimated stride they're all bad the next regime is also dead and the third regime were dealing with different people than anybody's dealt with before it's a whole different group of people basically uh president trump is saying we've accomplished regime change because we killed 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

57:15the leadership has changed in that sense yes there has been some change within the islamic republic but the institutions have not collapsed um internal dynamics of islamic republic have function to replace new individuals for each 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 uh or in islamic republic but up to the level of president we have had senior leadership of islamic republic being assassinated in uh 1980s and they have been replaced um so i don't think the regime has changed because these are the the new leadership is not coming from outside the regime in most cases such as mojtabah humane that is not the new leader or zolghaz that became the secretary of the high consil for national security the new leadership have been even more hawkish than

58:19previous leadership so it is in some way it is true that the leadership has changed and it has become more hard line and hawk hawkish we're going to continue this discussion and post online at democracynow.org with professor Ali Kadivar fellow at the rank of 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