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- [00:15]
Amy Goodman
From New York. This is Democracy Now.
- [00:20]
Rania Khalek
They didn't send us a letter. They didn't send us like a polite request. They sent us a subpoena demanding our internal communications, our financial records and a lot more, which is just wild.
- [00:34]
Amy Goodman
Congress subpoenas, the nonprofit newsroom Breakthrough news. The Department of Justice investigates Code Pink, among other groups. We'll speak with Code Pink's Madea Benjamin and BTN host Rania Khalif. Then, at the request of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ICE deports Colombian activist Beto Corral. The reason his criticisms of the far, far right. Trump endorsed Colombian president elect
- [01:10]
Beto Corral
There is no rule in international law that prohibits an asylum seeker from expressing opinions or speaking about the politics of their country. That prohibition simply does not exist.
- [01:21]
Amy Goodman
Beto Karao will join us from Bogota and finally to Berlin, where a man drove a van into a Pride celebration over the weekend, killing one person and injuring 20. We'll speak with Berlin's queer commissioner, Alfonso Pontesana. All that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. France and Spain are bracing for another heat wave as thousands of firefighters and troops continue to battle unprecedented fires that have forced over 360,000 people to evacuate their homes. In a town in eastern Spain. Residents describe devastating scenes from this weekend.
- [02:25]
Rupraj
It was like in the movies where hell cracked the ground open and you see the red hell. That's how it was here on Saturday night. This hill was horrific in this area with houses. There were flames 15 to 20 meters tall. It was an atrocity. I can't describe the helplessness that a person feels to see their home, their neighbor's home, their town, their neighborhood burning.
- [02:47]
Amy Goodman
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez linked the fires to the escalating climate emergency.
- [02:59]
Beto Corral
What we are living is not a succession of isolated events, as has been said before. It is the most painful expression of a climate emergency that is making sixth generation wildfires more voracious, heat waves more frequent, and as a result, our territory more vulnerable. This is no longer an exception. It is the new reality. Summers are becoming increasingly difficult, destructive, and
- [03:20]
Amy Goodman
therefore deadly here in the United States. Major fires in Oregon have burned more than a million acres of land and forced the closure of Interstate 84 for some 70 miles. According to the Oregon Department of Forestry, there are dozens of active large fires burning across the state. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, fires have burned about 68,000 acres in Superior National Forest and nearby areas. The Washington Post reports the Biden administration had approved $10 million to thin out superior national forests to help prevent fires. But last year, The Trump administration's DoZ program paused or canceled nearly all the Forest Service's grant projects and funds. A former U.S. forest Service district ranger said, quote, had that work been implemented, it would have been effective in stopping or slowing down these fires. President Trump is hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House today for the first time since the US And Israel launched their war against Iran five months ago. The meeting comes as Trump weighs his next steps in Iran. On Friday, Trump paused strikes after two weeks of attacks. On Monday, he told Axios, quote, we are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don't work out, we'll go back to very strong military action, he said. In June, Trump and Netanyahu reportedly had a tense phone call, with Trump repeatedly calling the Israeli prime minister, quote, effing crazy. Netanyahu will also attend today's funeral for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11. Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an excerpt from an unreleased documentary showing Senator Graham cheering on the US Strikes on Iran. Look what we've done here.
- [05:30]
Rupraj
I almost cried.
- [05:32]
Amy Goodman
I mean, like, how long have we been pushing this? You've been pushing this for years, right?
- [05:38]
Rupraj
It's.
- [05:39]
Amy Goodman
I thought of Trump this morning.
- [05:40]
Rupraj
Well, he's. Jack, it's the best thing I've ever done. He loves blowing stuff up. So, you know, there are a lot of people inside didn't want to do it. So I've had my challenges.
- [05:55]
Amy Goodman
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also meet with President Trump and then attend Graham's funeral. Zelensky's visit comes days after a Russian ballistic missile struck a large military technological technology and drone exhibition near Kyiv that had been organized to show off Ukraine's drone technology. The attack killed at least 10 people and injured close to 100. Meanwhile, Ukraine has attacked a major Russian fuel storage depot located more than 800 miles from the Ukrainian border. The Ugandan government has started distributing emergency food relief after 19 people reportedly died in the east of the country due to prolonged drought. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a global mapping network on food security, reported conditions of drought in the Karamoja region of Uganda. Crops have failed due to inadequate rain, leaving one and a half million people in the area to face food shortages and malnutrition. This comes as the World Food Program has been forced to drastically scale back aid to Uganda after significant funding cuts, most recently from usa. The Trump administration filed an emergency application to the Supreme Court to allow an executive order that would restrict voting by mail. This comes after a federal appeals court blocked key parts of the executive order over the weekend. The supreme court has until August 3rd to respond. Under Trump's executive order, the Department of Homeland Security would create state by state lists of eligible voters who are citizens. The U.S. postal Service would then use the list provided by states to assess if voters should be allowed to vote by mail. In Michigan, Democratic Senate candidates Dr. Abdul El Sayed and Congressmember Haley Stevens sparred on Monday in the final debate before next Tuesday's primary. It's one of the most closely watch Senate races in the country. The debate moderator Rupraj questioned Stevens about receiving funding from aipac, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,
- [08:27]
Rupraj
specifically about AIPAC money. More than $46 million has been spent on APEC spending to back your campaign. A lot of people wonder if that is something where they're, you know you're going to do their bidding when you should you win this seat. Is that something should people should be concerned about? And if not, why not?
- [08:42]
Rania Khalek
Absolutely not.
- [08:43]
Amy Goodman
Rup look, I been very clear, consistent and transparent and I have continued to be. I want to see long term peace. I want to see a two state solution. I am deeply proud to represent one of the largest Jewish populations in a
- [08:59]
Rania Khalek
Congressional district in the country.
- [09:02]
Amy Goodman
During the debate, Dr. El Sayed repeatedly criticized Congressmember Stevens for taking AIPAC money.
- [09:11]
Rupraj
So I just want to say the difference between us is $46 million of AIPAC spending. They've set a record in this race to help elect my opponent because they know that she'll be a reliable vote just like she took last week to send your tax dollars to a foreign government that is aiding, arming and abetting the very people who want to foreclose on the possibility of Palestinian self determination.
- [09:33]
Amy Goodman
ICE is reportedly stepping up plans to arrest and deport Haitian migrants as hundreds of thousands of Haitians are set to lose their status under tps, the Temporary Protected Status Program. The Supreme Court last month sided with the Trump administration to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians. According to an internal government document, the plans to round up and deport Haitian immigrants could start this week. Guerleen Joseph, executive director of the Haitian Bridge alliance, said, quote, once again our community members find themselves in a state of extreme trauma, fear and terror. One of them told me it feels like a tsunami or an earthquake with nonstop aftershock, she said. The Trump administration has issued new regulations that could result in hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers being sent directly to deportation proceedings. Instead of giving them a chance to be interviewed first by an asylum officer. The rule could impact 440,000 cases. Doris Meisner, the director of the U.S. immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute, said, quote, the ultimate impact of making this change certainly seems to be to try to deny as many cases as possible without regard to the fairness of the determination. Unquote. This comes as the Trump administration has fired more than 100 immigration judges and replaced them with military lawyers and former prosecutors for the Department of Homeland Security. The Justice Department dropped its case against SEIU union leader David Huerta last year. He was charged with obstructing an officer after being arrested while protesting ICE raids in Los Angeles. Video from the event showed a masked officer shoving Huerta to the ground during the demonstration. In a statement, Huerta said, the Trump DOJ quote, is finally admitting what we knew from day one and what was obvious to anyone who saw the videos. The charge against me was baseless, meant to intimidate anyone who dares to speak out, vote, organize or demand justice, union President Huerta said. In Brazil, the eldest son of jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro has formally launched a campaign to challenge President Luiza Naciolula da Silva in Brazil's next election. Flavio Bolsonaro is a right wing senator who's already received the backing of Argentine President Xavier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27 year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt against his 2022 election defeat, Tallulah. In other news from Latin America, former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez has returned to Honduras eight months after receiving a pardon from President Trump in 2024. Hernandez was sentenced to a 45 year prison term in the United States for taking part in what prosecutors described as, quote, one of the largest and most violent drug trafficking conspiracies in the world, unquote. Hernandez still faces corruption charges in Honduras, but an arrest warrant against him was recently canceled. His brother Tony Hernandez remains in prison in the United States. The Washington Post is reporting the Trump administration's campaign of blowing up boats in the Caribbean and Pacific has not reduced the amount of cocaine entering the United States. A previously unreported assessment by the Drug Enforcement Administration concludes the attacks have failed to affect the supply or price of cocaine in the United States. The US boat strikes have killed at least 221 people since September. No evidence has been made public linking the boats to drug traffickers. Last week, Democratic Congressmember Chuy Garcia called for an independent investigation into the strikes as well as the recent murder of the Ecuadorian prosecutor Alexandra Bravo, who was fatally shot along with her sister by a hitman on a motorcycle last month in the city of Manta Dropsite. News reports that at the time of her killing, she was investigating US strikes on three Ecuadorian boats in which 36 passengers survived. Bravo was investigating claims by the survivors that they'd been abducted, then tortured by American gunmen in US Military uniforms aboard a US Flagged patrol ship. In Chile, police say they've captured a man sentenced back in 2023 for the kidnapping and murder of folk singer and activist Victor Hadda under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Nelson Haas was one of a group of military officers who was charged with Hadda's murder. He fled from authorities after his sentence was announced and was captured over the weekend. Hara was a pacifist who supported the socialist president Salvador Allende and was tortured and shot 44 times five days after the coup brought Pinochet to power in 1973. Salvador Allende died in the palace on September 11, 1973. To see more of our coverage about Victor Hutta, go to Democracy Now. Kentucky's Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's office released a new photo of him. Since he first entered the hospital last month after a fall at his home, McConnell has missed 38 roll call votes in the Senate and has not done any media interviews since he was hospitalized. New York Democratic Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio Cortez called on Senator McConnell to speak, speak to the public or resign.
- [16:09]
Rania Khalek
If he can't give us an update, he should resign, Absolutely.
- [16:13]
Amy Goodman
In addition to the one that he
- [16:14]
Medea Benjamin
already did, the one he sent out
- [16:15]
Rupraj
about a week and a half ago,
- [16:16]
Rania Khalek
I think it's been very clear to people across Kentucky that his update was not sufficient.
- [16:24]
Amy Goodman
And a powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake has hit southwest Japan, damaging buildings and highways. Many people are reportedly trapped inside a shopping center in the town of Kashima. And those are some of the headlines. This is Democracy now. Democracynow.org, the War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman. As the Trump administration threatens to intensify its global campaign to crush radical left terrorism, quote, unquote. We look at a new 100 page report issued by the State Department last week accusing the Cuban government of waging a sustained campaign of subversion against the United States, unquote. The report claims Cuba's backed a number of groups in the United States, including the National Lawyers Guild, Code Pink, Pastors for Peace, and the National Network on Cuba. In March, Code Pink and other organizations led A land, sea and air humanitarian solidarity mission to Cuba called the Nuestra America Convoy Convoy. Afterwards, the Treasury Department launched an investigation into Code Pink. Meanwhile, the Republican led House Ways and Means Committee subpoenaed three left leaning nonprofit organizations including Breakthrough News, demanding the independent online news outlet hand over internal communications and financial records. The subpoena also targeted the New York based political education group People's Forum and Tri Continental Institute for Social Research. Breakthrough News says it's being targeted over its coverage of U.S. mass deportations, ICE abuses, Cuba, Palestine solidarity and U.S. foreign policy. Breakthrough News has launched a fundraiser to pay for legal expenses. In a statement, the outlet said, quote, for years Republican lawmakers have painted a target on our backs, falsely claiming our political views and reporting are part of some foreign plot, unquote. For more we're joined by two guests in Washington, D.C. medea Benjamin is co founder of CodePink. She returned to Cuba in April and is the author of several books on Cuba including no Free Food and Revolution in Cuba Today. And in Beirut, Lebanon. We're joined by Rania Kalek, journalist at Breakthrough News where she hosts programs, Dispatches and BT Live. Her recent substack post is headlined Congress just subpoenaed our newsroom for doing journalism. Medea Benjamin, let's begin with you. You read the entire State Department report on Cuba. If you can start off by laying out what's in it, but also begin for context for a global audience by talking about the congressional hearings that Code Pink has interrupted the anti war group to get a sense of politics of Code Pink and why it might be targeted.
- [19:56]
Medea Benjamin
Well, just in this last month we've had an opportunity to speak out at some of the very important congressional hearings when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was making his case for the US to pay billions of dollars for this unprovoked reckless war in Iran. Marco Rubio, when he talked about the State Department's policies that have wrecked such havoc around the world and forget that he's supposed to be a diplomat. One of the recent ones was Mike Walsh, the US Representative to the United nations who declared at the United nations that there was no US Blockade on Cuba and was there telling the members of Congress how well the US War in Iran was going. So these are some of the recent hearings and yes, it gives a sense of our politics, which is we're a peace organization. We don't want to see the US Waging war around the world. We don't want to see the US Supporting Israel. We want to live in cooperation and we want Our diplomats to be diplomats.
- [21:02]
Amy Goodman
So talk about the report and also what has happened to Code Pink? Has Code Pink been subpoenaed? Have you personally been subpoenaed?
- [21:17]
Medea Benjamin
I personally have not. CODEPINK is being investigated by the Treasury Department as a result of this March trip that you mentioned, the Nuestra America convoy where we took humanitarian aid for the children's hospitals to try to help Cuba with the rising infant mortality rates as a result of this brutal blockade. And they are asking us for all kinds of ridiculous information about everything we brought to Cuba, who we gave it to, the receipts. And this is, of course, in the context of the attacks on U.S. organizations and the U.S. state Department report that you mentioned, Amy, that is just incredible piece of garbage. A hundred pages trying to link US movements, whether in the 60s and 70s or today, movements for Black Lives Matter against ICE, the movements in student universities, linking all of these to Cuba, connecting it to Cuba, the connections to Russia, to China, to Iran, to paint this picture of a tiny island nation that is trying to overthrow the United States. In fact, it says it wants to conquer the U.S. it wants to erase the U.S. from the earth. Absolutely absurd. And of course, every accusation is a confession because it's the United States that has tried to overthrow the Cuban government from 1960, as we saw in the 1960 memo that says US should use hunger and desperation to overthrow the Cuban government. It accuses Cuba of trying to interfere all over Latin America when this has been the modus operandi of the United States to try to shape Latin America in its own interests. And it talks about Cuban interference in U.S. internal affairs. We say, let's look at Israel. That has had more of an impact on US Policy than Cuba could ever dream of.
- [23:24]
Amy Goodman
And if you can talk about the condition of Cuba today, I mean, is Marco Rubio, who himself is Cuban American, talks about, as you said, Cuba trying to overthrow the United States. I think the United States, the Trump administration has been very clear about trying to overthrow Cuba right now. Blackout after blackout, its economy asunder, the sanctions against Cuba strangling it. If you can talk about the conditions on the ground for this report to be coming out now,
- [24:05]
Medea Benjamin
it is just criminal what the United States is doing to Cuba. It's had these sanctions for a long time, but they have increased to a new degree that we have never seen before. With an oil blockade that since January, President Trump said not a drop of oil will get into Cuba. There was one Russian tanker and that's it. Imagine a country that is trying to survive without oil. It means there's not electricity. It means that the roads are empty because there's no public transportation. It means that people's food rots in the refrigerator. And it also means that more babies are dying in the hospitals. More women are giving birth to low weight babies. It means that people don't have access to cancer medicines and other medicines they need. This is the most cruel policy. And let's remember that Cuba at one time was a country that did manage to have infant mortality rates and life expectancy that rivaled the United States. And also a country that spread its message of trying to save lives all around the world with these medical missions that have saved millions of lives in some of the poorest countries in the world, that have organized and built hospitals around the world that have trained medical doctors. In fact, in the midst of this crisis, they just graduated 1,600 doctors from 71 countries, including Palestine, in Cuba. So the fact that Cuba hasn't been able to survive is quite remarkable, but the situation is catastrophic.
- [25:41]
Amy Goodman
Earlier this month, the State Department hosted an international summit where White House adviser Stephen Miller described the left as enemies of civilization. This is part of Stephen Miller's speech.
- [25:57]
Rupraj
Here in the United States, we have taken the necessary and essential action of formally recognizing left wing violence as a form of political terrorism that is a direct threat to our national security and the survival of our Republican form of government. President Trump issued a directive in our parliament called a National Security presidential memorandum, or NSPM NSPM 7 to be exact, that directs for the first time in American history all of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies to work together to disrupt, identify, defund, debank, arrest and prosecute these political terrorists that are operating in our country.
- [26:45]
Beto Corral
Country.
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Rupraj
It's very important to understand that left wing political terrorism seeks as its ultimate end the overthrow of our system and form of government.
- [26:57]
Amy Goodman
Finally, Medea Benjamin, that's Stephen Miller. If you can respond to what he's saying.
- [27:05]
Medea Benjamin
Well, what I think is that we are seeing the results of his twisted mind in the attacks on so many of our organizations in the US and it's a time for us to come together. We encourage people to go to the CodePink website. There is a note now that you can sign to send a message to Marco Rubio about what do you think of his garbage Cuba Report and attacks on US Groups. We can't be intimidated. This is really a moment in history that is so dangerous for us in the United States and for the world. Let's come together and fight harder.
- [27:41]
Amy Goodman
So last week, the Republican led House ways and Means Committee subpoenaed three left leaning nonprofit organizations, including Breakthrough News, demanding the independent online news outlet hand over internal communications. We're joined now by Rania Khalek, a Beirut based journalist at Breakthrough News, where she hosts programs, Dispatches and BT Live. Your substack post is headlined, Congress just subpoenaed our newsroom for doing journalism. And this came out soon after that speech of Stephen Miller and their called Terrorism Summit. If you can respond about what's happening to Breakthrough News and how you're responding to yourto the subpoena.
- [28:29]
Rania Khalek
Yeah, thanks so much, Amy. And you're absolutely right. I mean, this subpoena came on the heels of that anti Communist summit where Stephen Miller spoke from that clip you just showed, and on the heels of that Cuba report that basically identified opposition to the blockade in Cuba as well as all kinds of other criticisms of US Foreign policy as being part of some foreign plot. And, and this subpoena we received is part of a longstanding attack against us. We've been under attack from Trump's right wing allies in Congress for years now. However, we started receiving letters from the Ways and Means Committee earlier this year, basically pointing to our viewpoints as a problem and justification for why they wanted us to turn over First Amendment protected materials. In fact, in these letters they've been sending us, they specifically mention our coverage of Israel's genocide in Gaza and of the ICE kidnappings and killings across the country that have sparked massive uprisings. And they also accuse us of anti American rhetoric, which is just, you know, summoning the ghosts of the House UN American Activities Committee during the McCarthyism era. So this is a flagrant attack on our First Amendment rights as an independent media outlet. And everybody should be alarmed. Everybody who cares about a free press and cares about free speech should be alarmed about an attack like this. I mean, the Ways A Means Committee is supposed to be reviewing tax policy and they're coming after a tiny nonprofit. If they really wanted to review tax policy, they could go after the massive nonprofits across the country. And they're explicitly saying it's because of our viewpoints.
- [30:08]
Amy Goodman
So you mentioned Joe McCarthy. And especially for the youngest generation who's listening right now, they might not know who you're talking about. I want to turn to Senator Joe McCarthy speaking in 1952 during the Red Scare.
- [30:27]
Elizabeth Shah
One communist on the faculty of one
- [30:29]
Rupraj
university is one communist too many.
- [30:32]
Elizabeth Shah
Even if there are only one communist
- [30:34]
Rupraj
in the State Department, there could still
- [30:35]
Elizabeth Shah
be one communist too many.
- [30:38]
Amy Goodman
So that was Wisconsin Senator Joe McCarthy. If you Rania can talk about how this is affecting Breakthrough News, having to deal with news and U.S. foreign policy, of course, around the world. And at the same time, how you answer this subpoena?
- [30:58]
Rania Khalek
Well, we have legal counsel. Our lawyers have been responding to the letters, and they are aggressively challenging these violations of our constitutional rights. And under no circumstances will Breakthrough news be be compromising or surrendering our First Amendment rights or the freedom of the press that we would absolutely be fighting this through our lawyers. As for the McCarthyism here, you know, Amy, I think it's interesting because there's an important lesson I think we should take from the McCarthyist era, and that is, you know, during that time, they got the public on board. That's the reason it worked. It wasn't the committees. It was because they got the public on board. What's interesting about what's happening right now is they're attempting to criminalize dissent and an independent press because they're losing the argument. You know, we have breakthrough news. Our viewpoints are not fringe. Right? It's opposition to the genocide in Gaza. It's, you know, desiring, you know, free health care across the U.S. it's opposition to these ICE kidnappings and killings. These are actually in keeping with the majority of Americans across the country. And so. So this administration is deeply unpopular. Its agenda is unpopular. Meanwhile, we see progressive politics are ascendant. Socialist candidates are winning primaries. The movement against the genocide in Gaza is growing. So this foreign plot smear is all they have left because they can't win on their merits. And that's what people need to understand this as. So we at Breakthrough News, we're going to continue to do our reporting. People can go to our website, breakthroughnews.org signed the petition to drop this, this attack on the First Amendment. And if you can, donate to our legal expenses, because at the end of the day, we're a tiny outlet. We have a microscopic budget compared to the, you know, massive corporate media outlets that run the airwaves. Every dollar that we spend on, you know, these legal fees is a dollar we can't spend on reporting. And I think they're just trying to drain us of our resources to silence us. But we're not going to be silenced.
- [32:57]
Amy Goodman
It's very interesting. We're speaking now in the wake of the Department of Justice, the subpoenas against the New York Times, their reporters, and one of the reporters, mother, their spouses, as their lawyers took on the Department of Justice. And finally, as we talk about McCarthy, let's not forget that Joseph McCarthy hired Roy Cohen as chief counsel for HUAC, the House UN American Activities Committee, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in January of 1953, and and President Trump learned at the knee of Roy Cohen in New York. Your final comments, RANIA khalek?
- [33:43]
Rania Khalek
Well, you know, I just want to say these allegations of, you know, being influenced by foreign governments or a foreign plot, you know, Amy, I'm an agent of reality and an agent of the truth because I'm a journalist. I'm not an agent of some foreign power. And I'm speaking to you from Beirut, Lebanon, where I watch my US Tax dollars fund the Israeli bombs that get dropped on my family. That's what moves me to do the kind of journalism that I'm doing. That's what moves me to oppose the genocide in Gaza and oppose the blockade on Cuba, again in keeping with the majority of American sentiment. So I'm going to keep doing the journalism that I'm doing. Breakthrough News is going to keep reporting and we all have to unite and push back because this isn't just about breakthrough news. It's about an independent press. It's about free speech. It's about the First Amendment. It starts with breakthrough News, but if we let them win, next, they come after Democracy now and only gets bigger from there.
- [34:32]
Amy Goodman
Medea Benjamin and Rania Halak, I want to thank you both. Rania Halak is the journalist at Breakthrough News based in Beirut, Lebanon. And Medea Benjamin, co founder of Code Pink, joining us from Washington, D.C. coming up, at the request of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ICE deported a Colombian activist. The reason his criticisms of the far right Trump endorsed Colombian President elect will go to Bogota. Stay with us.
- [35:58]
Beto Corral
You see, if I was president or
- [36:00]
Elizabeth Shah
not, I'd roll up my sleeves as I face the congregation.
- [36:04]
Amy Goodman
First thing I do if I was president by Las Cafeteras in our Democracy now studios. This is democracy now, democracynow.org Bloomberg the war and Peace Report. I am Amy Goodman. As we talk about a case that is quite remarkable, we're joined right now in Bogota, Colombia by Beto Corral. He was living in Phoenix, Arizona when federal immigration agents arrested him at his home in June after he filed criminal charges against the Colombian now far right President elect Avelardo de la Espriella. In a memo obtained by the New York Times back in June, US Secretary of State Marco Rubia wrote, quote, allow Corral Garrido to remain in the United States undermines U.S. foreign policy interests in Colombia's democratic processes and signals that foreign nationals may use US Platforms to conduct politically motivated disinformation campaigns and litigation targeting foreign democratic actors without consequence, unquote. Beto Corral is a supporter of the current Colombian president, Gustavo Petro. In his memo, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed, quote, corral Guerrido has used his presence in the United States to conduct political activity in support of support of the Petro government, unquote, and accused Corral of attacking de la Espriella and undermining Colombia's democratic process. Since Trump's return to office, Rubio has used his powers as Secretary of State to target individual immigrants for prosecution and deportation, including student protesters such as the Palestinian advocate Mahmoud Khalil. But according to the New York Times, this memo appeared to be the first to recommend the deportation of an activist in relation to a presidential election in a foreign country, in this case, Colombia. Betro Corral reportedly arrived in the US in 2015 on a tourist visa and had a pending asylum application. He was deported to Colombia on July 16th after about a month in ICE custody. We go now to Bogota, Colombia, to speak with Beto Corral himself. We're also joined in Boston by his attorney, Elizabeth Shah, who is a partner at Humanitas Legal Group. Beto, let's begin with you. Can you talk about the day of your arrest and what happened to you in ICE detention?
- [38:55]
Elizabeth Shah
Hi, good morning. Thank you for joining me. I was detained on June 16th by no ICE agent, HSE agents while they tell me I was grocery shopping with my son. And when I arrived home, they raises their weapons. But as soon as they saw that I was with my young son and my daughter, they lowered them the guns. They then allowed me to go into the apartment to put away the groceries, leave my son and my dog there because, you know, the, the weather in Phoenix in June. And I tried to call my son's mother. So she called me, pick me, pick him up. My son and my dog, they never presented me with a warrant or any other legal document. They simply hand coffee me. Once I got into the vehicle, put me in the shackles. What was most surprised was that after we started driving, one of the HSEC agents asked me what you did it? And I am very surprised because that guys that tell me and they, they don't have reason, don't know their reason. It's very. I am very surprised and this situation was very. Larry.
- [40:44]
Amy Goodman
I want to explain to our viewers and listeners around the world, when you say HSI agents, that's Homeland Security Investigations. So they take you and you end up in ICE detention, which jail for a Month and explain what happened to you there?
- [41:02]
Elizabeth Shah
Yes. After that I was taken to the detention facility in Florence in Arizona, where I was beating and within, sorry, the days the ICE agents in Florence don't give me water, don't give me a foot. They struck me my legs and put me the shackles on my hands and my feet and my hips. I was held there for about four hours. Then around 3pm, they kick my legs and show me out to detention facility, put me into a ban and drove me through northern Arizona, crossing the border into New Mexico. However, when then he did south, which seemed very strange. Looking out the window, I noticed that we were approximate to el Paso. Maybe 10pm soon after I realized we were arriving and the detention facility in El Paso. In El Paso I was don't give any food or water. I remained there for one day and a half. After that, I was transported by plane to Omaha, Nebraska, then to Minneapolis, then to Alexandria, Louisiana. From there I was taken by bus to Mississippi. And after five days in Mississippi, I was transferred to Jena in Louisiana. Throughout this entry time, I was always kept in solitary confinement. During the transfer, I was never given any food. Only after we arrived to each detention facility, I was not given water either. And the treatment I received was inhuman. And I was always single OED and hunter frisbed.
- [43:17]
Amy Goodman
I want to bring your lawyer into this conversation. Elizabeth Shah, one of the lawyers representing our guest from Colombia, because he was deported there, Franklin Umberto Corral, better known as Beto Corral. Elizabeth Shah, explain exactly, after being here for over a decade, why Beto was picked up and the clarity of this memo that the New York Times got a hold of, written by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State, specifically talking about his support for candidates in his own country of Colombia.
- [44:09]
Elizabeth Shah
Right. I think we only really need to look at the timeline of events that took place here. The weekend before Beto was arrested in Arizona, he was actually in Miami, Florida with other Colombian expats, and they were demonstrating and speaking out about their political opinion in regards to the upcoming election that was happening the following weekend. And when he arrived back home, there was the memo issued by Marco Rubio that morning. And by that afternoon, he was detained by HSI agents. And on the same day, the incoming President de la Esparia had made tweets that honestly looked like they did allude to Obedo's arrest. And so it's very clear that he was exercising his First Amendment speech in Miami, returned home, and then was arrested for that speech.
- [45:05]
Amy Goodman
This is a part of a clip you Posted on Instagram outside a luxury apartment building in Miami. Bristol Tower, where far right, Colombian President elect Ovalardo de la Esprilla at one point owned property. He's a lawyer and a businessman who's faced scrutiny over the source of his fortune and his alleged links to Colombian clients. Alex Saab, an ultra wealthy fixer for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who's currently in federal custody in a Brooklyn jail awaiting trial. Let's go to that clip of Beto Corral.
- [45:45]
Beto Corral
This apartment was purchased with money belonging to Venezuela's poor, which is why I'm here in Miami, a city teeming with such stories, fortunes, luxury apartments and properties acquired by individuals directly or indirectly linked to the Venezuelan regime. And yet from here they spend their
- [46:02]
Amy Goodman
time criticizing so clearly. Corral is speaking as an activist. If you, Canelizabeth Shah respond to Marco Rubio saying, quote, Corral Gorillo has used his presence in the United States to conduct political activity in support of the Petro government. Petro democratically elected president in Colombia.
- [46:31]
Elizabeth Shah
What he is condemning is everyone's right here in the United States to have and hold their own political opinion. And the problem that Marco Rubio and the Trump administration has is that that stated opinion which is widely followed on in Beto's various accounts across social media, is that that is against what they are in support of.
- [46:55]
Amy Goodman
And so where does his case stand now? Already deported to Colombia
- [47:05]
Elizabeth Shah
and I would like to clarify that point. Beto was not deported. We, his legal team had negotiated a deal for him to accept voluntary departure, meaning that he is not deported from the United States. He left on his own accord and without expense to the United States government. And so at this point he has withdrawn his asylum application in accordance with the grant of voluntary departure and is now in Colombia making his plans for his next steps for safety.
- [47:37]
Amy Goodman
And if you can tell us Beto, as we wrap up now, what are you afraid of at this point as the Trump backed President elect is about to become president in the next weeks of Colombia.
- [47:53]
Elizabeth Shah
Yes, I have fear for my family. My family is the most important to me. Do you hear my lawyer? The reasons why I was detained already know everyone. The memorandum issue being Marco Rubio contains defamatory, ridiculous and non essential allegations. It reflects a cynical form of fascisms. They are essentially saying that I was the term simple because I express a different opinion. I was also targeted because I supported a different candidate than the one that one vacant by the United States government. I repeat, it's unavailable. I never spoke about United States. If you ask me when the election in the United States are held. I honestly would. I don't know because it's not something that concerns me. It's not my business. I can vote in United States, so I don't believe it's my place to express opinions about your country. It's what it is. I only speak about politics of my country of origin. There is not international law that requires an asylum applicant to remain silent about the political affairs of their own country. On the contrary, the United States Supreme Court has held that all people living in United States are protected by the First Amendment.
- [49:47]
Amy Goodman
We're going to have to leave it there, but I thank you so much for being with us. We'll continue to follow your case. Beto Corral is a Colombian activist, political analyst, digital content creator back in Colombia after being arrested and detained by ice. And Elizabeth Shaw, an attorney with Humanitas Legal Group, speaking to us from Boston. Next up, we go to Berlin, Germany, where a man drove a van into a pride celebration, killing one, injuring 29. We'll speak to Berlin's queer commissioner. Stay with us.
- [50:39]
Medea Benjamin
In the white
- [50:41]
Amy Goodman
of the daylight am I still dreaming?
- [50:51]
Medea Benjamin
Everything around me seems so bright.
- [51:02]
Amy Goodman
A new Horizon by Baptiste and Ornella Thierry this is democracynow. Democracynow.org I'm Amy Goodman. We end today's show in Germany where a man drove a minivan into a crowd of people near Berlin's Pride celebration Saturday, killing one, injuring 29. Authorities later shot and killed the man during an operation Sunday. The alleged suspect was identified as Abdul Balut, a 21 year old German citizen. According to authorities, he tried to join the Islamic State and was released from prison in May despite being jailed for preparing an attack. This is Berlin's mayor, Chai Wegner.
- [51:44]
Rupraj
I can only say that Berlin as a city of freedom and diversity will continue to stand strong and make its position clear. We will not allow anyone to take away our way of life or the way we live together.
- [51:56]
Amy Goodman
On Sunday, thousands of people gathered around Brandenburg Gate in Berlin for a community vigil.
- [52:05]
Beto Corral
We are here today to commemorate the horrific attack and to honor those who were injured. And most importantly, we are, of course, with those who have lost loved ones and who witnessed this horrific act. But we are also with all those who are simply utterly shocked by the news. I'm from the Lambda Youth Network. We carry out youth work across the country and our funding for next year has just been completely cut. That means we'll have to close our doors at the end of the year.
- [52:30]
Amy Goodman
For more, we're joined by Alfonso Pontesano the queer commissioner of the Berlin state government. Thank you so much for being with us. Alfonso, if you can. First of all, our condolence. Talk about what happened. You were there in the rally outside the Brandenburg Gate, where there were thousands. Talk about what happened Saturday.
- [52:56]
Alfonso Pontesano
Well, we had an amazing day. People celebrating on their seats, their diversity, people celebrating their freedom, but also reminding everyone that we are still under attack from so many directions. Politics is changing. So next to the fact that we're celebrating, we were also protesting and demanding to be treated equally. At the evening, almost at the end of the celebrations, after a beautiful concert, suddenly the stage program stopped and we got evacuated. And then later on, we found out that an attack had taken place. So I remained onto the streets of Berlin until deep into the night to be there and to show support as the queer commissioner of the city. But I could feel already the grief of my community, and the feeling of feeling scared and insecure was all over the air of Berlin.
- [53:51]
Amy Goodman
So you are a government official. You had called for proper security at the pride celebration. Talk about the man who's been identified as Abdul Balat. According to authorities, Balut tried to join the Islamic State, was released from prison in May, despite being jailed for preparing an attack, for attempting to prepare an attack. Explain the preparations for this event, and do you feel let down by the government?
- [54:27]
Alfonso Pontesano
Well, the police in Berlin is doing, as I always say, an incredible job in trying to secure every big event in this city. The capital of Berlin. Berlin sees around nine to ten demonstrations a day. Being the capital of Germany, and especially by safeguarding the queer community, they're trying their very best. But at the end, there is no such thing as a 100% security. I have no idea yet what the investigations will bring to light and how a man could possibly enter the Tiergarten park late at night with a van. I have no idea how that could happen. So the investigations will have to show it. But as far as I can say, police is really doing everything possible to safeguard every demonstration and especially those that are affected and are, including the LGBTI community in Berlin, regarding the man. We have heard the news, we all know, whatever the news outlets around the world already are talking about, talking about a young man born here in Germany and being radicalized by the is. And we have to see now what the further investigations bring along.
- [55:42]
Amy Goodman
And can you talk about the fears that the far right will use this attack to continue fueling anti Islam and anti immigrant rhetoric, while also condemning the violence against the LGBTQ community that you've been doing, doing
- [56:03]
Alfonso Pontesano
well, it's a little bit like when an animal dies and birds come to rip apart the body and eat it. That's what's happening at the moment. Everyone is now focusing again on the racist and also Islamophobic comments. Yes, we do have a huge problem worldwide with radical Islamistic groups such DES and others. We have a huge problem with religions in general who do not accept queer life at all, some more, some less. But the idea of religions is not to include LGBTI people into their own ideology and beliefs. At the same time, we have to look at how political parties and how governments are now destroying everything that we as a queer community, for decades and decades have fought for in order to be treated equally. The far right here in Germany is of course, waiting for an attack like this one to use it in order to highlight that the foreigners are the problem. But by doing so, they completely forget and avoid to look at how much queerphobia there is in this country in all various levels of structures, in schools, at the workplace, in churches, on the streets, in sports, and in so many other places. Yes, they might not come out onto the streets with a van and kill us in a big, huge group like possibly this attack could have done. And by saying so, I want to express my condolences to the family of the deceased woman, the deceased mother, and all of the injured people. But at the same time, we do have a huge problem of homophobia and queerphobia here in this country, fueled by rhetorics by Democratic parties like the CDU and others. And we have to look at it, what does that cause? When a Chancellor says that, for example, the Berlin Reichstag is not a circus tent when mentioning that he doesn't want to have the rainbow flag flying over his roof during Pride Parade. And many other comments, derogatory comments that the Chancellor himself has made in the past, this fuels the rhetoric, this fuels the hate, this fuels the insecurity within the LGBTI community. And we are under attack. And we have to mention that in order to highlight that people need to stop and think, what the hell are we doing at the moment? In which world are we trying to let children know who we're going to
- [58:48]
Amy Goodman
have to leave it there? Alfonso Pontesano, Queer Commissioner of Berlin, speaking to us from Germany. That does it for our show. I'm Amy Goodman. Thanks for joining us.