Democracy Now!

11/06/2026

NYT: RFK Jr. Disengaged in Running Health and Human Services Department

The New York Times reports Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demonstrated little interest in managing his sprawling department as he focuses on food and vaccine policies. The report says Kennedy rarely attends weekly meetings held by the chiefs of HHS's 13 operating divis...

11/06/2026

U.S. Measles Cases Top 2,000 for Second Straight Year

U.S. measles cases have now topped 2,000 for the second straight year, but experts think the real number is about three times higher. The CDC confirmed cases across 38 states and Washington, D.C., with the majority among children and teenagers. About 92% of cases involve people who are unvaccinated ...

11/06/2026

GAO Report Finds Sweeping Failures at ICE Jail in Fort Bliss, Texas

A new report from the Government Accountability Office has found sweeping failures at Camp East Montana, which is the federal government's largest ICE jail, located in Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. The facility holds up to 5,000 detainees. Among the violations detailed in the report: a security guar...

11/06/2026

New Jersey Health Inspectors Find Unsafe and Unsanitary Food Prep at Delaney Hall

A new report from New Jersey health inspectors finds bad employee hygiene, unclean surfaces and poor food storage at the ICE jail known as Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey. The report is based on an inspection of Delaney Hall last month, when inspectors were only given access to food service areas...

11/06/2026

A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is set to expire Friday unless it is reauthorized by Congress.

Section 702 allows for the warrantless surveillance of foreign nationals believed to be outside the United States. In practice, it also sweeps up and stores vast amounts of data from people inside the country, including their emails, texts and cellphone data.

The FISA provision was enacted in 2008 to legalize George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program that was developed after 9/11.

Lawmakers in both parties have balked at renewing the law amid anger over President Donald Trump naming of MAGA loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence. On Thursday, Trump announced his nomination of former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Jay Clayton as his permanent pick for the role, potentially easing the passage of Section 702.

Cindy Cohn, the executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told Democracy Now! that regardless of the wrangling on Capitol Hill, the spy program should be stopped. "It was started illegally, and it hasn’t gotten any better," Cohn said. "A simple warrant requirement shouldn’t be a very big lift."

Section 702 has a built-in grace period; even if authorization lapses this week, the U.S. government can continue to operate the surveillance program into 2027.

11/06/2026

U.S. Inflation Hits Highest Level in 3 Years Driven by Increasing Gas Prices

U.S. inflation hit its highest level in three years. The consumer price index rose at an annual rate of 4.2% in May. Energy prices accounted for more than 60% of the monthly increase, driven by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has disrupted oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Gas prices ar...

11/06/2026

Anti-Immigrant Riots Continue in Belfast as Police Deploy Water Cannons to Quell Second Night of Unrest

In Northern Ireland, police in Belfast deployed water cannons to quell a second night of anti-immigration riots. Sixteen people were arrested. Twelve police officers were injured. The unrest began earlier this week after an asylum seeker from Sudan was charged with attempted murder in a stabbing att...

11/06/2026

FBI Conducts Raids of Pro-Palestinian Activists in Michigan

On Wednesday morning, the FBI conducted a number of raids in Michigan targeting eight pro-Palestinian activists who have been indicted on federal charges for allegedly threatening University of Michigan officials as part of a campaign to push the school to divest from Israel. The Michigan chapter of...

11/06/2026

Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Ethnic Cleansing in the West Bank

Amnesty International has accused Israel of ethnic cleansing as part of a “brutal campaign to forcibly displace Palestinians and expand its control over land in the West Bank.” Amnesty described the campaign as state-led and not just driven by rogue settlers. Amnesty is calling on nations to hal...

11/06/2026

U.S. Attacks Tanker Off the Coast of Oman, Killing 3 Indian Sailors

A U.S. attack on a tanker off the coast of Oman has killed three Indian sailors. U.S. Central Command said the ship was targeted for attempting to transport oil from Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade. The U.N.'s International Maritime Organization condemned the U.S. strike. The father of one of...