Democracy Now! 2026-06-05 Friday

Summary

Democracy Now! — June 5, 2026 Episode Summary

Overview

This episode of Democracy Now!, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan González, centers on escalating authoritarian tendencies in the US and UK, debates within the Democratic Party, the global impacts of war, and the rising progressive political movement in America. Key guests include Dr. Adam Hammawi, a former U.S. Army surgeon and fresh Democratic congressional nominee known for his medical volunteerism in Gaza, and prominent leftist streamer Hasan Piker, who discusses being banned from the UK for his criticism of Israel.

---

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Breaking News & Headlines (00:15–18:39)

• US Immigration & Budget: Senate Republicans passed a $70 billion budget package to fund immigration crackdowns, adding to $170 billion previously approved for ICE and Border Patrol. Inhumane conditions in ICE facilities persist with record deaths. (01:49)
• Middle East Crisis:
  • Israeli assaults on Lebanon continue despite a “ceasefire”; Hezbollah not party to talks; over 3,500 killed in Lebanon since March.
  • US lawmakers (including 91 Democrats) voted down a resolution to halt military support for Israel's assault on Lebanon.
  • Iran and humanitarian groups warn of acute food insecurity across the region due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing violence. (05:00–06:00)
• US Policy Moves:
  • Trump administration dismantles the Ocean Observatories Initiative, impacting climate research.
  • Trump proposes new coal plants and rule changes giving political appointees oversight of scientific grants.
• Prediction Markets & Crypto:
  • George Santos under investigation for betting on his own State of the Union appearance.
  • Trump praises crypto markets, opposes regulation.
• Data Center Bans:
  • Monterey Park, CA, bans new data centers via referendum, citing environmental impacts.
• Political Updates:
  • New Jersey: Tom Kean, Jr. wins a primary after three months’ public absence.
  • Pam Bondi’s testimony ties her deputy to the release of Jeffrey Epstein files.
  • Peru: Presidential election pits leftist Roberto Sanchez against Keiko Fujimori.
• Justice & Culture:
  • Colorado court orders new trials for medics convicted in the death of Elijah McClain.
  • Marjane Satrapi, author of “Persepolis,” has died at 56.

---

2. Interview: Dr. Adam Hammawi — Progressive Surge & Gaza Solidarity (20:44–39:07)

Dr. Adam Hammawi, recent Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s 12th congressional district, reflects on his medical work in Gaza, campaign platform, and opposition to US militarism and ICE.

Dr. Hammawi’s Motivation & Platform

• Frontline Experience: Volunteered in Gaza, saw immense suffering and destruction (“What I witnessed there wasn't a war. I witnessed a level of destruction I had never experienced before. What I witnessed was really a genocide.” — Hammawi, 24:27).
• Campaign Message:
  • “We should be spending on healthcare, not bombs… not funding bombs overseas for, you know, atrocities and genocide.” (23:15)
  • Fighting for health care, abolishing ICE, ending endless wars, and “unrigging” the economy.
  • Cites the “disconnection of party leadership from the will of the people,” especially on Palestine and Israel. (26:32)
• On Democratic Party’s Direction:
  • Warns that ignoring the Palestinian question cost Democrats the 2024 election: “The reason we lost the 2024 elections is not because more people came out to vote for Trump. It was because less people came out to vote for Harris.” (28:51)
  • Democracy being “dismantled right in front of us.”
  • Calls out AIPAC’s influence and urges redirecting military spending to social needs.

Notable Quotes

• “We have proved once and for all that there is no such thing as progressive except for Palestine. I will fight for health care, not bombs, to abolish ICE and to unrig this economy once and for all.” (22:35)
• “This autopsy report needs an autopsy report as well... How was such a big issue ignored?” (28:51)

Policy Ideas & Challenges

• Advocates for tuition-free public colleges, universal healthcare, and reigning in the military budget: “If we took 20%, 30% from that budget and started spending it here at home... we'd still be number one.” (30:14)
• On attacks stemming from his involvement in the Omar Abdelrahman trial: “My patriotism is clear... I was a medical student. I went and testified in like 15 or 20 minutes in a trial that took weeks... The fact that they are trying to use this... shows how desperate they are.” (32:31)

Personal Connections & Humanitarian Work

• Recalls saving Senator Tammy Duckworth’s life in Iraq and her later intervention to help evacuate his team from Gaza. (35:19)
• Demands international access to detained Gaza doctors, especially Dr. Husam Abu Safiyah, and slams ongoing Israeli attacks on health workers. (37:23)
• “What they have used in Gaza… they're now doing it in Lebanon and beyond. It’s the gazification of the entire region.” (37:23)

---

3. Interview: Hasan Piker — UK Ban, Democratic Party Crisis, and Activism (43:06–58:09)

Hasan Piker, Twitch political commentator and activist, discusses his and Cenk Uygur’s ban from the UK, government repression, his Cuba solidarity trip, and the struggle inside the US Democratic Party.

Repression in UK & US Politics

• UK Ban: Describes the ban on himself and his uncle Cenk Uygur as a “terrifying prospect for the future of Western liberal democracies.” (43:06–44:48)
  • “To completely drop all pretext that they care about free expression… is, I think, a sign of the times.” (43:06)
• British complicity with Israel:
  • “England extends a red carpet to war criminals... but critics of Israel are considered to be real threats to public safety is preposterous.” (45:11)
  • Labor government “complicit in acceleration towards fascism.” (45:11–47:55)
• US Investigation for Cuba Solidarity:
  • Faces possible prosecution for participating in the Nuestra America convoy.
  • “I assume this is less of a real inquiry and more so an opportunity... to try to silence political dissent and to also criminalize activism.” (48:38)

On the Cuba Humanitarian Mission

• “The delivery was successful, but ultimately it's a drop in the bucket. What the Cuban population actually needs right now is oil… the island's energy grid is currently still suffering.” (51:18)
• Contrasts the suffering of ordinary Cubans with the comfort of Guantanamo Bay: “You have 9 million or so people suffering... and a couple miles away from Havana, you have Guantanamo Bay where they have a McDonald's.” (51:18)

Democratic Party Divisions & Palestine

• Reflects on being ejected from the DNC convention in 2024 for public criticism: “My press credentials [were] revoked in real time while I was live broadcasting at the DNC... for my criticisms.” (55:12)
• On the DNC “autopsy” not mentioning Israel/Gaza: “Is this incompetence or are they cynically trying to avoid the conversation?” (55:12)
• Sees grassroots progressive victories as a sign of hope:
  • “Adam Hamawi, Chris Robb, and other insurgent candidates... have created this unavoidable force... that will hopefully present a very good change within the party.” (55:12)
• “The party right now needs fighters. We don't have a lot of time. Fascism is here... someone has to fight back.” (55:12–58:09)

Notable Quotes

• “Once again, I think this is a real warning... it is the labor government's complicity both in the crimes that Israel has committed, [and] in the acceleration towards fascism.” (45:11)
• “I myself am unbowed and I hope others will be too.” (53:40)

---

Standout Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• “What I witnessed [in Gaza] was really a genocide... I was taking care of the victims of it and I couldn't stay silent.” — Dr. Adam Hammawi (24:27)
• “Israel is the third rail of American politics. You can’t criticize Israel or else. And that has been the norm for decades. And that’s falling apart now.” — Dr. Adam Hammawi (28:51)
• “To completely drop all pretext that they care about free expression... I think is a sign of the times.” — Hasan Piker on UK ban (43:06)
• “England extends a red carpet to war criminals... but critics of Israel are considered to be real threats to public safety is preposterous.” — Hasan Piker (45:11)
• “The party right now needs fighters. We don't have a lot of time. Fascism is here and someone has to fight back.” — Hasan Piker (55:12)

---

Conclusion

This episode draws sharp lines between establishment politics and grassroots activism, warning of resurgent right-wing authoritarianism and corporate capture in both the US and UK, especially around the topics of Palestine, democracy, and freedom of speech. It profiles the surge in progressive organizing—embodied by Dr. Adam Hammawi’s candidacy—and exposes the consequences of government and party disconnect from voters on critical human rights issues. Hasan Piker’s segments reinforce the interconnected struggle for justice, solidarity, and the need for independent, dissenting voices.

---

Key Timestamps

• Headline news: 00:15–18:39
• Dr. Adam Hammawi interview: 20:44–39:07
• Hasan Piker interview: 43:06–58:09

Hosts: Amy Goodman, Juan González
Featured Guests: Dr. Adam Hammawi, Hasan Piker

Transcript

[Amy Goodman]

From New York. This is democracy now.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

We have proved once and for all that there is no such thing as progressive except for Palestine. I will fight for health care, not bombs, to abolish ICE and to unrig this economy once and for all.

[Amy Goodman]

A former U.S. army surgeon who volunteered in Gaza is one step closer to winning a seat in Congress. Representing New Jersey, we'll speak to Dr. Adam Hammawi, who won the Democratic primary on Tuesday. He's also known for saving the life of US Senator Tammy Duckworth when she was serving in Iraq, her legs blown off. We'll speak to also the prominent streamer and leftist commentator Hasan Pak Piker, who is just banned from traveling to Britain. He's an outspoken critic of Israel and Britain's support of the genocide in Gaza.

[Hasan Piker]

The British government, instead of listening to the demands being made, listening to the demands being made by the masses, have decided to increase the repression. That's the way that they think they can deal with this problem. They think they can silence us. They think they can silence you. They think they can just jail and punish dissidents and hope that it goes away.

[Amy Goodman]

Britain also banned Cenk Uyghur of the Young Turks, who happens to be Hassan Piker's uncle. Piker's also facing a possible US Investigation for joining a solidarity trip to Cuba, and we'll talk to him about the divide within the Democrat Democratic Party over Israel and other issues. All that and more coming up. Welcome to Democracy now, democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. Senate Republicans have rammed through a $70 billion budget reconciliation package to fund Trump's immigration crackdown through 2029. This is in addition to the 170 billion DOL dollars already approved for ICE and Border Patrol last year as part of Trump's so called One Big Beautiful bill. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski was the sole Republican to vote against the bill early Friday morning. The legislation does not include language that would permanently bar the Trump administration from creating a $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump's MAGA allies. A ban that was backed even by some Repub legislation now heads to the House. This comes as detained immigrants continue to raise alarm over the inhumane, unsanitary and dangerous conditions they face in ICE jails nationwide amidst a record number of deaths in ICE custody since Trump's return to office. At least 18 immigrants have died in ICE custody since the beginning of the year alone. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports ICE plans to stop reporting deaths of immigrants that occur within 30 days of being released from custody. Israeli attacks across Lebanon have killed at least six people so far today, despite the announcement of an extension of the U. S Brokered so called ceasefire. The agreement between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats seeks to create zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned. Hezbollah has not been part of the negotiations, which the group's leader, Naim Qassem, has rejected as a farce. On Thursday, Qassem also warned of more retaliatory attacks unless Israel agrees to a comprehensive ceasefire and withdraws from southern Lebanon. Over 3,500 people have now been killed, more than 10,000 injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since early march. Meanwhile, US lawmakers have voted down a resolution seeking to block US military support for Israel's assault on Lebanon. On Thursday, 91 House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in a vote of 324 to 92 to defeat the resolution authored by Michigan Congressmember Rashida Tlaib, who forced the vote over what she called Israel's genocidal war on Lebanon. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says there will be no peace in the region until Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanon and has reaffirmed its support for Hezbollah. This comes as the World Food Program warns millions of people face acute hunger due to soaring costs and shortages of fuel and fertilizer due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The UN agency warns the crisis has pushed an additional two and a half million people in Somal, 1.3 million people in Sri Lanka and 2.3 million in Afghanistan into acute food insecurity in the Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera reports a Palestinian family of five was burned alive as they slept in their beds when Israel bombed their home in Gaza City overnight. They were among nine people killed in the attack. This is a Palestinian man who lost his daughter and his two grandchildren.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

The war did not end.

[Amy Goodman]

It is a hoax.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

The war did not end.

[Amy Goodman]

They are fooling people.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Nothing ended. They are martyrs every day.

[Hasan Piker]

They are martyrs in all places in Gaza every day.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

What war ended?

[Amy Goodman]

The war ended from one side only. Since October, when Israel agreed on paper to a U S brokered ceasefire with Hamas, it's killed nearly 950 Palestinians in near constant attacks on Gaza. Nearly 3,000 others have been wounded in that time. The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of ocean floor sensors that collect critical data on marine ecosystems, ocean currents and the climate crisis. The National Science foundation said this week it'll decommission more than 900 deep sea sensors installed a decade ago. Its closure was recommended by the Heritage foundation project 2025 playbook for Trump's presidency. Scientists warn the move will severely degrade efforts to monitor changing climate patterns and could negatively affect weather forecasting and extreme weather alerts. The Trump administration's proposed rule changes to the Federal Register that would give the president and his political appointees far more power to decide how billions of dollars of scientific research grants are awarded. Draft regulations released by the Office of Management and Budget would give partisan political appointees oversight over how grants are awarded to scientists researching everything from vaccine safety to LGBTQ to the climate crisis. Trump appointees would also have the power to terminate active projects and could limit international scientific collaborations. The American association for the Advancement of Science condemned the proposed rule as a brazen power grab and said it would make future discoveries less likely. The Union of Concerned Scientists warn it could also give politically connected industries a functional veto over research that might reve risks associated with products and practices. The White House has announced funding for construction of what would be the first new U.S. coal plants in 13 years. On Thursday, President Trump announced $700 million in new federal funding for the coal industry during an Oval Office gathering with Republican governors and cabinet members.

[Hasan Piker]

If you look at China, if you

[Juan Gonzalez]

look at so many of the successful countries they're using coal, if you look at some of the real great failures countries they're using, wind just keeps blowing, blowing, blowing and puts you right out of business.

[Amy Goodman]

This week's attorneys general from seven states sued the Trump administration over its efforts to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York. President Trump appeared to struggle to remain awake during his appearance in the Oval Office Thursday, closing his eyes for extended periods of time and at one point slumping in his chair at the Resolute desk. It's the latest in a series of public events where Trump appeared to doze off in full view of the White House press corps. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified to a House committee that he'd never seen President Trump fall asleep. That prompted California Congressmember Ted Lieu to accuse Rubio of lying to Congress. Liu then played video from a December Cabinet meeting where Rubio praised Trump's leadership while the president appeared to slate.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

You are literally talking about issues of

[Hasan Piker]

war and peace, and Donald Trump is

[Amy Goodman]

sleeping right next to you.

[Hasan Piker]

No, he's not. If Donald Trump cannot stay awake at these important meetings where the cameras are

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

rolling, imagine what he's like when the

[Amy Goodman]

cameras are not there. So I'm going to ask you, have

[Hasan Piker]

you been at classified meetings where Donald

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Trump has fallen asleep or trouble staying awake. I've never been at any meeting where

[Hasan Piker]

you're falling and the things you're showing me now. He was not following his sleep.

[Amy Goodman]

The online prediction markets platform known as Kalshi has reported the disgraced former Republican Congressmember George Santos to federal authorities on suspicion of insider trading. Two sources familiar with the investigation say Kalsheek contacted the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice after Santos placed bets on whether or not he would attend the State of the Union address last February. Santos bet against his own attendance after posting this video to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

I'm going to be there for the State of the Union in the gallery guys.

[Hasan Piker]

Just chill trolls.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Chill, okay?

[Amy Goodman]

Santos was expelled from Congress in 2023 and pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud, identity theft, lying to Congress, stealing money from campaign donors and fraudulent unemployment claims. He was released from federal prison in October after President Trump commuted his seven year sentence. It's not clear whether Santos will face new criminal charges. This comes after President Trump lashed out at prominent politicians who've sought to regulate or ban Kalshi and similar platforms. Writing on his Truth Social site, after Minnesota last month became the first state to ban prediction markets, Trump called Governor Tim Wall scum. Along with Chris Christie, letitia James and J.B. pritzker. Trump added, quote, other countries are after this new form of financial market and we want to remain at the top. Likewise and even more importantly, where we're currently the crypto, bitcoin, et cetera, capital of the world, other countries are trying to diligently repl us in that capacity, but we won't let that happen, trump wrote. Democratic lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to scrap a proposal making it easier for 401 s and other retirement plans to offer investments in cryptocurrency, private equity and so called alternative assets. In a letter to the Labor Department, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Congressmember Bobby Scott Warren, quote, this would strip long held investor protections from retirement savers and encourage the use of more risky, complex and expensive investments. The proposed rule is harmful to American workers, they wrote. In California, voters in the city of Monterey park have approved a measure that permanently bans the construction of new data centers, defeating a proposal to build a massive new artificial intelligence site near residential neighborhoods. It's the first time a municipality has banned a data center through a direct ballot initiative. This comes as new research from the UN University warns that by 2030, global data centers are projected to consume 945 terawatt hours of electricity, or nearly triple what Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria consume annually combined. The report also finds data centers water footprint will equal the basic annual domestic water needs of all 1.3 billion people in sub Saharan Africa. In New Jersey, Republican Congressmember Tom Kaine Jr. Won an uncontested primary election on Tuesday, even though he has not been seen in public in over three months. Kaine's campaign has offered little explanation for his actions absence, saying only it's due to a personal medical condition. That might be several more weeks before Cain is healthy enough to return to Capitol Hill. Cain won the endorsement of President Trump, who praised him on social media as working tirelessly while adding, quote, he will never let you down. Cain has missed over 100 votes since his disappearance in early March. The House Oversight Committee has released a transcript of Pam Bondi's testimony before a closed door session with lawmakers last month, revealing the former Attorney general sought to lay responsibility for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files at the feet of her former deputy Todd Blanche. Blanche once served as President Trump's lead criminal defense attorney before Trump tapped him as Deputy Attorney General under Bondi. After Trump fired Bondi in May, Trump elevated Blanche to acting Attorney General and has nominated him to permanently replace Pam Bond. According to the transcript, Bondi said of Todd Blanche, quote, he was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files. Unquote. In Peru, voters head to the polls for a presidential election Sunday that pits a leftist lawmaker against the daughter of a former dictator. Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of Peru's late ruler Alberto Fujimori. She faces Roberto Sanchez in a runoff election for the presidency this weekend. Sanchez has proposed drafting a new constit to replace the current document which was created under Fujimori's government in 1993. Protesters ahead of the vote marched against Keiko Fujimori demanding justice. This is Indira Hulika, a former congress member and the daughter of a union leader who was killed under the regime of Alberto Fujimori.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Fujimorism has already captured the institutions, has already destroyed many democratic institutions and that is why in this election choose is to give total power to Keiko Fujimori or open a path to rebuild democracy in our country.

[Amy Goodman]

A Colorado appeals court has reversed the homicide convictions of two paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23 year old black man. McClain had been walking home from a convenience store when he was assaulted by Aurora police and put in a chokehold before paramedics administered a fatal dose of ketamine to his body. McClain went into cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital and died several days later. On Thursday, the Colorado Court of Appeals ordered new trials for the two paramedics, Peter Kichuniak and Jeremy Cooper. Kachuniak has been sentenced to five years in prison. Cooper avoided any prison time. And the French Iranian artist, filmmaker and graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi has died at the age of 56. In a statement, her relative said she had, quote, died of sadness after the passing of her husband, Swedish producer Matthias Ripa, last year. Tributes have poured in from around the world honoring Satrapi, whose comic memoir Persepolis, about a rebellious young Iranian girl navigating life following the 1979 revolution, became an international phenomenon in 2024. Satrapi spoke to Democracy now just after Iranians elected Massoud Peseshkian as president.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

All the elected representatives of this country have their hand in the blood of the Iranian people, more or less, but they have their blood at the hand. Iranian young people, women from all walks of life.

[Amy Goodman]

They express a desire for a true

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

secular democracy, and this regime will never change.

[Amy Goodman]

To see our interview with Marjane satrapi, go to democracynow.org and those are some of the headlines coming up. Dr. Adam Hammawi, we last spoke to him while he was volunteering as a doctor in Gaza. Now he might be heading to Congress after winning the Democratic primary in New Jersey Tuesday. And then we'll speak to the Twitch streamer. Hassan Piker, stay with us.

[Hasan Piker]

Open the windows, let the night air in.

[Amy Goodman]

I want to feel it

[Hasan Piker]

under my skin.

[Amy Goodman]

Pull up the shades and let the secrets out. I want to know them. I want to know There is.

[Hasan Piker]

And when the writing is on the

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

wall,

[Hasan Piker]

traces of twilight start to fall. And when the harvest man comes to

[Amy Goodman]

call, it comes for us all. Tell me, John, the Harvest man by the Corner Laughers. This is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and Peace Report. I am Amy Goodman in New York, joined by Democracy Now's Juan Gonzalez in Chicago. Hi, Juan.

[Juan Gonzalez]

And welcome to all of our listeners and viewers across the country and around the world.

[Amy Goodman]

We begin today's show in New Jersey, where Dr. Adam Hamawi beat a crowded field Tuesday to win the Democratic Party's nomination in the race to succeed retiring Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Dr. Hamaoui had the endorsement of progressives, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressmember Alex Ocasio Cortez Hamaoui is a former US army surgeon. Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth who also endorsed Dr. Hamaoui, said he helped save her life after her helicopter was shot down in Iraq, her legs blown off. In 2024 and 2025, Dr. Adam Hammawi volunteered in Gaza, where he treated Palestinians injured there. In 2024, Hamaoui spoke to Democracy now from Gaza.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Most of my patients are children. My average patient's about 12 or 13 years old. They range from the youngest. One I've taken care of is about 4. And the age goes up to, like, mid-60s or 70s. The people since the invasion of Rafah, we've had a lot of the hospital personnel leave because they are trying to get their families out of Rafah. Many of them have either moved there from other parts of Gaza or they have, you know, lived there, and they're trying to Flee.

[Amy Goodman]

That was Dr. Adam Hammawi speaking from Gaza back in 2024. On the campaign trail, Dr. Hammawi called for the US to cut off arms sales to Israel and other countries that commit gross human rights violations. He also called for an end to apartheid in Israel. This is Dr. Hamaoui on Tuesday night after winning the Democratic Congressional primary in New Jersey.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

We have proved once and for all that there is no such thing as progressive except for Palestine. I will fight for health care, not bombs, to abolish ICE and to unrig this economy once and for all.

[Amy Goodman]

Dr. Ana Mamaoui joins us now from Princeton, New Jersey. Congratulations on your victory Tuesday. Can you talk about overall your plank and what this means and what your victory says not only to the country, but to the Democratic Party in particular.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Thank you very much for having me again. Yes, I am. You know, I'm very happy about Tuesday, and I was running on something very simple, is that we should be spending on healthcare, not bombs. We should be spending on our communities here, you know, in New Jersey, in America, and not funding bombs overseas for, you know, atrocities and genocide. We should not be funding the endless wars that we're seeing. We shouldn't be funding ice. And. And this was a message that people wanted to hear, that people were waiting to hear, because we see the problems that we have at home that we are ignoring. You just went through your War and Peace report, and we see that, you know, we need the billions of dollars that are being spent on these endless wars to fix our communities and to restore the democracy that seems to be being dismantled right in front of us.

[Juan Gonzalez]

And Dr. Hammawi, what prompted you to move from being on the front lines of medical treatment in many wars around the world to run for office.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

So I've been working in war and disaster zones for the last 30 years. I volunteered two weeks, a year or sometimes longer. And then I come back feeling that I have given back. And I couldn't do that. After coming back from Gaza, I just couldn't go back to life as usual because what I witnessed there wasn't a war. I witnessed a level of destruction I had never experienced before. What I witnessed was really a genocide. I was taking care of the victims of it and I couldn't stay silent. And with the restriction on foreign journalists from entering, I had a front seat view. And I felt that I had to go to my lawmakers and say, we are allowingwe are enabling this to happen as a country. We are using American tax dollars for this to happen. And I started advocating and going to D.C. and I found that many doors were closed. People didn't even want to hear what was happening. They wouldn't even listen, whether they agreed or not. And so when this seat became open, when Bonnie Watson Coleman, our current congresswoman, said she was going to retire, I felt I had to run. I had to continue her legacy of fighting for the people, fighting for justice, and having the moral courage to stand up and make sure that we continue this fight. And you know, as a surgeon, you know, I don't like, you know, just putting band aids on issues. I go to the source and currently many of the problems that we have here at home with healthcare, with education, with our infrastructure, with housing starts in Washington and these endless wars start in Washington. So this is where I'm going.

[Juan Gonzalez]

And yet you're running as the Democratic Party nominee. And the Democratic Party, especially when it comes to Gaza, to Palestinians and Israel, has really pretty much gone along with the imperial project of the United States and Israel. So I'm wondering your concerns about the Democratic Party.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Well, you know, the party leadership has become disassociated with what the people want. We've seen over the last several years, as people become aware of what's happening in the Middle east, of what's happening in Israel and our role in enabling this for decades and the Israeli lobby's influence on our government with aipac, people are becoming more aware. And if the Democratic Party doesn't start paying attention to what's happening on the ground, they're going to continue to lose elections. And I think that was one of the reasons for my success, is because, you know, the people in the district are sick and tired of this. And it's not just here, but it's around the country. We want a country where we use our resources, our tax dollars, these billions of dollars that we are spending on the Department of War, a trillion dollars a year. We need to be spending some of that right here at home to restore our nation to, you know, fund universal healthcare like Medicare for all, to fund tuition fee, public college, to rebuild our roads and bridges, to, you know, address the housing crisis. We're always told that we can't afford all these things, but we always could afford more bombs and more money for war.

[Amy Goodman]

And what do you make of the autopsy report that the head of the Democratic National Committee tried to suppress but then after outcry was forced to release it and there wasn't any mention of Israel, no mention of Gaza. And yet at the Democratic National Convention, I'm going to also put this question to Hassan Piker in the segment we do with him. We know what major issue this was just at the convention alone, with delegates outside holding a sit in for over 24 hours, demanding a Palestinian American voice in the convention. Then when the autopsy comes out, it's not just that they dealt with Israel and Gaza, the occupied territories, in a certain way, but they didn't mention it at all.

[Hasan Piker]

All.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Well, Israel is the third rail of American politics. You can't criticize Israel or else. And that has been, you know, the norm for decades. And that's falling apart now. And this is why we see these, you know, these frantic gestures to try to restore it. But the reason we lost the 2024 elections is not because more people came out to vote for Trump. It was because less people came out to vote for Harrisfor the Democratic Party because it's ignoring these issues. And this autopsy report that needs an autopsy report as well is how was such a big issue ignored? You know, AIPAC still has a huge influence on our politics and we need to address that or else we are not going to be able to move forward and the party is not going to succeed and is going to continue losing elections.

[Juan Gonzalez]

Like I said in Dr. How, I'd like to ask you about some of your, the issues that you've been addressing in your campaign. You've called for tuition free public colleges and universities. Why is this so important and how would it be paid for? And also your, your view on a big issue that's arising in many communities around the United States, the proliferation of the day of AI data centers.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

We are the richest country in the history of the world, you know, and we are the only developed country that doesn't have universal, you know, medical care that can't provide basic education for our youth. And we talkyou know, we keep spending a trillion dollars on war and defense and yet, you know, you know, when we have poor education, when we have poorhealth and bad infrastructure, I mean, these are security issues in itself. And so it seems that our focus really isn't on security. Our focus is really on profits. Profits for the corporations. And that's the military industrial complex, all these defense contractors that are making money and profiting off of war and the billionaires who seem to be getting wealthier and wealthier and we're told that how are we going to afford all this? Well, if we just took a fraction of what we are spending on war and spent it on these issues that we need at home, we're going to be able to fund it. You know, we're spending a trillion dollars and we are spending more than the next nine countries combined. If we took 20%, 30% from that budget and started spending it here at home, here in New Jersey, here around the country, we'd still be number one. So we have the money, we're just not making the choices. It's a lack of political will and it's because of all the influence that we, the corrupt influence that we have in Congress. And we need to start addressing these directly. And you know, this is what I've done. I mean, I've, you know, said I'm not going to take any corporate PAC money, not going to take any money from aipac, as if they would offer me anything. And we need more lawmakers that make that commitment and answer to the people, answer to constituents and start taking care of their needs rather than these corporate interests.

[Amy Goodman]

Let me ask you, Dr. Hanawi, about your response to the right wing attacks on your campaign as you move into the general election for Congress. You were called as a defense witness in the case the trial of cleric Omar Abdelrahman who was sentenced to a life sentence in prison for seditious conspiracy for a plot to blow up New York landmarks. Can you explain what happened in that trial?

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

You know, my patriotism is clear. I have had decades of service for this country in and out of uniform. And you know, this is just an attempt to distract from everything that I've done and bring up really that, you know, you know, over 30 years ago there was very few religious figures in New Jersey, New York area. I was, you know, in a last minute carpool and was asked to testify about the events that happened during that ride. And I was called as a witness and I testified under oath. I was in the military at the time, before that and afterwards, you know, I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States. And I believe in the system of laws and justice. So I went and testified about the events. I was never accused or implicated or, you know, even thought of to be any, like, involved in any crime at all. The reason I was such a good witness is because I was completely not involved and was never a problem at the time. I was a medical student. I went and testified in like 15 or 20 minutes in a trial that took weeks on end and went back to class the next day. The fact that they are trying to use this to make a story just shows how desperate they are are and that they have nothing else to talk about. They're ignoring my service. They're ignoring that I'm a 911 first responder and that I've been fighting terrorism and war and my entire life and saving lives. These are the same people that are advocating for war. These are the same people who are funding ethnic cleansing and genocide. These are the same people who are, you know, you know, funding the dismantling of our democracy. And, you know, this is all they have to argue with.

[Amy Goodman]

Dr. In 2024, Senator Tammy Duckworth appeared on NBC News and advocated for your evacuation from Gaza at the time.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

I'm alive because of Dr. Hammawi and

[Amy Goodman]

the doctors and medical folks who saved me in Iraq. He was there, he took care of me when I couldn't take care of myself. But this is what he does and this is what so many these doctors are doing. He and his colleagues are in there providing aid, everything that they can do to help save lives there. I think he's in the European hospital. But again, this is happening. We've been helping other groups of doctors

[Hasan Piker]

like Medglobal get in and out and

[Amy Goodman]

continue to provide aid. But he certainly is very near and dear to my heart because he saved

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

my life 20 years ago.

[Amy Goodman]

So that was Senator Tammy Duckworth who had both her legs blown off in Iraq where she served. Dr. Hamwi, could you describe what happened that day? What were you doing and how did you help to save her?

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

I was a US army combat surgeon in Baghdad. And you know, that November of 2004, a Black Hawk was shot down by an RPG. The whole crew was brought in. It was a mass casualty event. And I was one of the surgeons in the trauma bay when she came in. She was the pilot. She was the most seriously injured person in the crew and awake. And yet still all she was asking for was about her crew, how was her crew doing? Showing the type of leadership that she had and still has in Congress. And I spent several hours operating, trying to stabilize her and also, you know, try to save as much as I can from, you know, her. You know, she also had other injuries besides her legs. And a few hours after surgery, she was evacuated. And I lost touch with her for many years until I saw that she was running for Congress. And many years later, a couple Years ago in 2024, when my team was trapped while on a humanitarian mission in Gaza, she was able to pressure, you know, Israel and use the State Department and our government to be able to evacuate my team safely. So she was able to return the favor. And she was one of the first people I talked to when I decided that I wanted to run for Congress. And she encouraged and said, we need more people like you.

[Juan Gonzalez]

And Dr. Hammoui, I want to ask you about another doctor whose situation you're familiar with, with Dr. Husam Abu Safiyah, the director of Kamal Agwin Hospital in northern Gaza. The Israelis have been holding him in detention. They just extended his detention. He's a Negev prison under harsh conditions and without being denied his medication. You're concerned about his fate and that of other disappeared doctors from Gaza.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

Again, this is, you know, an example of the Israeli crimes. I mean, they've targeted him, they've targeted other healthcare workers, they've shot surgeons in the operating room because they wouldn't leave their patients. And yet we continue to allow this to happen. We continue to defend it, defend Israel despite these war crimes that are occurring. And so, you know, you know, I demand, we all should be demanding is access to these prisoners. We should have the Red Cross, we should have a third party be able to go in there, inspect their conditions, make sure that, you know, international human rights laws and the laws of war are being respected and enforced. And yet Israel has continued to deny this. They continue to make claims about, you know, the quote, war they're conducting and yet a genocide continues. And everyone is just asking to allow third party monitors to go on the ground and see what's going on there. And they refuse to do that. Right. Why is that happening? Why are they refusing? Why are we allowing this to happen? And so we should be demanding that he be released. We should be demanding that all the prisoners that are being held under these conditions should be also beshould be let go and we should restore order there. And yet what's happening is the genocide is continuing till today. It has broken every single ceasefire. It has made throughout its history and has extended this genocide to the region. We see what's happening in Lebanon, what's happening in Iran. It's the gazification of the entire region and what they have used in Gaza over the last three years, they're now doing it in villages in Lebanon and beyond.

[Amy Goodman]

Dr. Adam Hamoui, we want to thank you very much for being with us. He has just won the Democratic Party's primary representing New Jersey's 12th congressional district. Former U.S. army surgeon who volunteered in Gaza helped save the life of now the current US Senator, Tammy Duckworth. Coming up, we speak to the prominent streamer and commentator Hassan Piker. He was just banned from traveling to Britain after criticizing Israel. Stay with us. Ooh, they wanted a blue bird, baby. So cheerful, so sweet. All that was what you heard, baby not these crow's feet.

[Dr. Adam Hammawi]

We got that dark dark matter you'd

[Amy Goodman]

be surprised we got that corvid chatter well organized. Oh, when I was just a small

[Hasan Piker]

fledgling I thought I might fly I

[Amy Goodman]

stood at the farthest edge and opened my eyes Sure I thought that I whistled dark matter by the corner laughers. This is democracy now. Democracynow.org I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez. Earlier this week, the British government banned the progressive political commentators Hassan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the uk. They were scheduled to speak at the south by Southwest London Festival and the Oxford Union Society, the UK's Home Office, said it was cancelling their travel permits, quote, on the grounds that their presence in the UK may not be conducive to the public good. Both Piker and Uygur are outspoken in their criticism of Israel. Recent comments that have drawn scrutiny include Piker saying that as a, quote, lesser evil voter, he would vote for Hamas over Israel every single time, unquote. The week prior to their ban, British Labour MP David Taylor called for Piker to be barred, saying, quote, it's shocking that south by Southwest would invite someone who's openly supported a proscribed terrorist organization and spouted these kinds of vile anti Semitic rants to speak at their festival. With the unacceptable rise in antisemitism on our streets, leaving British Jews in a constant state of anxiety, Hasan Piker is clearly not conducive to the public good, he said. Hasan Piker is one of the most prominent online influencers on the left. He has millions of followers and subscribers across social media platforms. He livestreams on the gaming platform Twitch for hours every day. Recently, he's drawn the ire of the Democratic Party Leadership for endorsing and campaigning on behalf of progressive candidates and primaries across the country. To talk more about his ban from the uk his views on Israel, his critique of the Democratic Party, and more, we're joined by Hassan Piker from his home where he streams in West Hollywood, California. Hasan, welcome to democracy. Now, can you start off by responding to this ban on you and Cenk is your uncle, is that right? Cenk Uygur on what this means. In fact, you're gonna virtually participate in the Oxford debate anyway, right?

[Hasan Piker]

Yeah, I was also supposed to. First of all, thank you for having me. It's a real honor to be on the show. I'm basically listening to the show a lot earlier than I normally would because I usually do that in my morning routine, but. So Jake and I were supposed to participate at the Oxford Union. We were supposed to do different panels of south by Southwest. I was also supposed to have a conversation with Jeremy Corbin and Zach Polanski, the leader of the Green Party. And I also had another talk set up with former Greek Finance Minister Giannis Varoufakis. And then Cenk was supposed to travel to the UK with his family, and he was stopped at the airport and he found out that his visa had been rescinded and that he could not get on the plane. So I ended up checking my visa as well and found out that my visa was also revoked. Now, I find. I find what the British government did here to be objectionable. I. I find it to be disgusting. I. I also find it to be terrifying. I think it's a terrifying prospect for the future of Western liberal democracies. The fact that a country that has in the past harbored much more radical thinkers than myself to. To completely drop all pretext that they care about about free expression instead of protecting it is, I think, a sign of the times. I think is a sign that we're moving down into. We're headed down a very different, dare I say, fascist direction in the Western world.

[Juan Gonzalez]

And this is. This is happening, Hassan, under a Labor government in Britain, especially given the. Britain's particular role when it comes to Israel and Palestine being the primary and imperial power that allowed the creation or promoted the development of the state of Israel.

[Hasan Piker]

Yeah, absolutely. There's definitely a lot of culpability. Not that extends far beyond the Balfour Declaration. And the British government has been coordinating with the Israeli government. The Royal Air Force has been conducting surveillance missions flying off of their Cypress base. Keir Starmer has actually visited this base and. And has openly admitted that he could never say in broad daylight what the, the Royal Air Force is doing there. Starmer has also invited Isaac Herzog, who has been mentioned in the ICC and the ICJ court cases against both Israel and Israeli officials like former Defense Minister Yoav Golan Mott and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So the fact that England extends a red carpet to war criminals and collaborators of war criminals that have played a role in the genocide of the Palestinians, but then critics of Israel are, are considered to be real threats, significant threats to public safety is, is preposterous. But once again, again, I think this is a real warning. Just as the prescription of Palestine action and, and the, the mass arrests that have taken place of pensioners in the UK that have demonstrated in support of Palestine action was a very clear attempt by the British government to do the exact opposite of the democratic process. To refuse to listen to the very just and moral demands hands of the masses and instead suppress their voices and, and try to silence them through state repression. Is, is. Is very clear that there's a, there's a terrifying direction that the, the UK is headed down. And yes, it is the labor government's complicity both in the crimes that Israel has committed, but it's also the labor government's complicity in the acceleration towards fascism. Because the next government that comes in, if it's, God forbid, a reform government, a far right authoritarian government, they're going to overtake this exact same process. And they might not have even the restrictions of the labor government is applying currently. So to offer them the keys of the castle in this manner is, is complicity. It's something that we've seen. It's appeasement. It's something that we've seen throughout history, in the past where, where liberals assume that they could overtake the reactionary demands coming from the right in an effort to keep control, and they ultimately failed. To the fascists.

[Juan Gonzalez]

I wanted to ask you also about another international issue which you've been involved with controversy lately. You went to Cuba in March with the Nuestra America convoy, which brought activists from 33 countries in medicines and supplies to Cuba to attempt to break this economic blockade and warfare that the United States has been involved in against Cuba. But last week it was reported that the Treasury Department sent you and Medea Benjamin, founder of Code Pink, who helped organize the convoy, a request for information from the Office of Foreign Assets Control to look at the possible violations. What's your response to this inquiry?

[Hasan Piker]

Yeah, so I've yet to receive a subpoena, even though Fox News claimed I Received one. I have not. But I think that the, the news article itself was symbolic. I assume that this is less of a real inquiry and more so an opportunity for the American government to try to silence political dissent and to also criminalize activism. We were there to support the Cuban population with humanitarian aid that was necessary. And I also separately got a journalism visa as well to cover the atrocities that were taking place on the ground and, and to try to figure out what our government's culpability was in the economic devastation that Cubans were facing. And I mean, it was, it was horrifying. You guys have covered this stuff extensively, but it's very clear that the Trump administration is not making the secret that they want to prosecute all manner of political dissent, whether it be the counterterrorism initiatives implemented by Sebastian Gorka or even now lawfare by way of the Treasury Department. I think the goal here is to once again, just like the British government, silence dissent and maybe even ultimately criminalize it. Hopefully this won't be a precedent setting case, but we are headed down a scary path here.

[Amy Goodman]

Hasan, I wanted to play a clip of a short documentary about your trip to Cuba.

[Hasan Piker]

For years, I've wanted to visit Cuba. I wanted to learn about the problems caused by the embargo. I wanted to see a socialist society in person. Last month, I took the opportunity to go as part of a humanitarian mission to bring aid that my government won't. I'd be accompanying Progressive International alongside hundreds of others from around the world. World activists, journalists, artists and politicians will be coming to the island by boat and plane to deliver over 40 tons of necessary supplies, food, medicine and medical equipment. All right, we're in the heart of, we're in the heart of Havana right now. One of the things that I've immediately been hit with is, is how beautiful the city is, but also how hollowed out it is in many ways. It looks like, I mean, some of these houses, they have the skeleton, they have the outside, but inside it looks like it's bombed out. You know, there's people living in it. But, like, very clearly this is in a dire state of disrepair.

[Amy Goodman]

More indictments have been brought in this last day against Cuban leaders. Hasan Piker, did you actually deliver medical supplies? How successful were you?

[Hasan Piker]

You? Yes. So the, the humanitarian aid mission was accompanied by hundreds of other activists as well. It wasn't just medical supplies. There was, I believe, food as well. The, the, the delivery was successful, but ultimately it's a, it's a drop in the bucket. And what the Cuban population actually needs right now is oil, because oil is what runs their entire energy grid. And unfortunately, the Trump administration has very openly created a blockade and the island's energy grid is currently still suffering. Now, there's also one aspect to this that, that I think adds insult to injury, and that's the reality that there is actually parts of the Cuban island that are receiving oil with regular frequency. And that is, of course, Guantanamo Bay. That's a American military base on the island of Cuba. Cuba. And it's basically an old colonial outpost. And, and so you have the situation where 90 miles off of our coastline, you have 9 million or so people suffering. There's, there's food shortages. People can't deliver medicine all around the, the island because there's simply no oil. And food is, medicine is also spoiling as well. They're just sitting in factories because there's no refrigeration. And yet a couple miles off of, a couple miles away from Havana, you have Guantanamo Bay, where they have a McDonald's and they have American military members stationed there and they have energy for the, for the entire island, potentially. I think this really shows the, the, the inhumanity and the juxtaposition. And it's, it's, it's, I feel like it's something that many Americans are completely oblivious to if they were more aware of the crisis, that they would also find it to be morally repugnant and unconscionable. And I suspect that's part of the reason why the federal government wants to stop these kinds of actions or at least create an environment of threats and pressure so that other people who could also freely travel to Cuba and see what's going on for themselves and maybe even deliver humanitarian aid themselves, think twice before they participate in something like this. I myself am unbout and I hope others will be too.

[Amy Goodman]

Hasan piker at the 2024 DNC in Chicago, 30 delegates to the convention were with the National Uncommitted Movement. Uncommitted delegates were selected in state Democratic primaries to call for an end to the Biden administration's backing of Israel's assault on Gaza after the DNC denied their request for a Palestinian American speaker on stage. Uncommitted delegates and their allies staged a sit in outside the convention hall. This is a clip of the co founder of the Uncommitted Movement, Abbas Alawehya.

[Hasan Piker]

Here is the scandal, my friends. Here is the scandal. The scandal is that there are forces within Democratic Party leadership who do not want us to talk about Palestinian human rights. But that's not sustainable. This is a watershed moment.

[Amy Goodman]

So this was a watershed moment. You actually were inside the DNC for a while before they put you out. You had a select seat there as a commentator. But can you talk about the facti put this question also to Dr. Hammoui, who you campaigned with along with Dr. El Sayed. You campaigned with him also for his senatorial race. Can you talk about the, the autopsy report and it not talking about Israel and Gaza though the issue took center stage at the DNC with this sit in with people who are quite involved with the Democratic National Committee.

[Hasan Piker]

Yeah, I think to myself all the time whether this is a byproduct of incompetence or if they are totally aware that this is a major crisis, a major issue, and they're cynically trying to avoid having a conversation about it. I also had interviewed the uncommitted movement outside and I had my press credentials revoked in real time while I was live broadcasting at the DNC, while simultaneously being interviewed by a New York Times reporter, as a matter of fact, for my criticisms of the dnc. I was invited, but then, you know, I was, I guess disinvited at the same time for these, these exact warnings that I was issuing to as many Democrats as I possibly could. It turned out those warnings were true. And yet the Democratic Party still has not learned a very important lesson and, and still seemingly chooses not to listen to the demands of the masses. A similar pattern arises here that, that we just talked about with, with the United Kingdom. I feel like there's a real crisis in democracy and illiberalism in the Western world because of our complicity with war crimes and our complicity in Israel's genocide. And instead of addressing these problems, instead of solving these issues, instead of leaning into the demands of the overwhelming majority of the masses, the American government and the Democratic Party, just like the Labor Party, which is supposed to be the left representation of politics in both these countries, has decided to suppress the, the needs of the masses, have decided to avoid having these conversations. Having said that, however, there is an opportunity here. As you know, Adam Hamawi, Chris Robb in Philadelphia, and numerous insurgent candidates that are popping up all around the country in the, in the primary system and actually successfully defeated leading the establishment Democrats all around the country have, have created this unavoidable force, this, that will hopefully present a, a very good change within the party. And it's not just, of course, about Israel either. It's about these issues broadly. I feel like the, the center of power in the Democratic Party for far too long has conceded to the interests of profits, to the interests of corporations and oftentimes placed them first first and place the interests of the population of people, the masses, the working class last. Hopefully we can make a change and we can force that change because I feel as though the the party right now needs fighters. We don't have a lot of time. Fascism is here and and someone has to fight back. And, and the way to do that is through the democratic process and allowing real democracy to take place.

[Amy Goodman]

Hassan Piker, we want to thank you for being with us, political commentator and live streamer on the Twitch platform that does it for our show. I'll be in Tampa, Florida tonight. We'll be celebrating WMNF Community Radio at two screenings of the film Steal the Story, please, about the history of democracy now and the importance of independent media at the Sun Ray Cinema. You can check our [e-mail] and then at the O Cinema in Miami Saturday and Sunday for three screenings. And of course, it will be screening before. Beyond that, I'll be with the director Tia Lesson that does it for our show next week in Sheffield in England and then in Belfast, fast in Ireland and then back to a swing through Vermont. Check our website. I'm Amy Goodman with Juan Gonzalez.