i'm amy goodman. i am joined by juan gonzalez in new jersey. juan: welcome to our viewers and listeners across the country and the world. amy: the house select

i'm amy goodman. another punishing heat wave is set to bring triple-digit temperatures to at least 17 million people in the western united states and canada this weekend as a record wildfire season, fueled by the climate crisis, shows no sign of letting up. in oregon, the massive bootleg fire has burned more than 200,000 acres, over a million acres of the western u.s. and canada now in flames. this is dale kunce, head of the cascades region of the american red cross. >> what we have seen at the red cross is this change from a one big event a year or every five years or 10 years to now chronic events. amy: in northeastern washington state, hundreds of residents of the colville indian reservation were forced to evacuate after a wildfire, sparked by lightning, grew rapidly. washington governor jay inslee said wednesday climate change is to blame. >> every part of our state is under attack. every person in some way is under attack from the combined effects of climate change. tonight and today it is ravagi

i'm amy goodman.esearchers have found india's death toll from covid-19 may be 10 times higher than the country's official tally. a new report by the center for global development finds there have been as many as 4.7 million exce deaths inndia sincehe starof the pandemic. india's official death toll from the pandemic is 414,000. this comes as covid cases surge across the globe. indonesia reported over 1300 deaths monday, the highest single day toll since the start of the pandemic. but public health experts fear the actual toll is far higher. in japan, the number of covid cases linked to the olympic games has now reached 71. the opening ceremony is set to take place on friday where cases write a six-month high in tokyo. in the united states, covid-19 cases have tripled over the past month as the highly contagious delta variant rapiy spreads across the country, particularly in areas with low vaccination rates. cases are now rising in all 50 states. on monday, president biden urged everyone eligible to ge

i'm amy goodman.he world health organization is warning countries against dropping public health measures like social distancing and masking as the highly infectious delta coronavirus variant continues to spread worldwide. this is mike ryan, the who emergency director. >> i think overall, we have made a very premature rush back to full on maliseet. i think we will pay a price for th because we are not there with vaccinations. the variants are really there and we have not protected those people. amy: in indonesia, dozens of patients died saturday when a public hospital on the island of java right out of oxygen. indonesia has ordered a partial locked out amidst a rising cap in cases. fewer than 30% of russians are fully vaccinated, even the russia's highly effective sputnik v vaccine is widely available. the british prime minister boris johnson is planning to end all coronavirus restrictions on july 19. covid-19 cases have soared in recent weeks, even though more than half the u.k. population is fully v

i'm amy goodman in new york, joined by my co-host juan gonzÁlez in new brunswick, new jersey. i, amy. welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. amy: we begin today's show with breaking news. haitian president jovenel moÏse was assassinated early today after an attack on his home in the outskirts of port-au-prince. moÏse's wife was also shot in the attack. she has been hospitalized. in a statement, haitian prime minister claude joseph said -- "a group of unidentified individuals, some of them speaking spanish, attacked the private residence of the president of the republic and thus fatally wounded the head of state." moÏse had led haiti since 2017. earlier this year, critics of moÏse accused of him of orchestrating a coup to stay in power beyond february 7 when his term officially ended. for months, haitians have staged large protests against moÏse demanding he leave office. but moÏse clung to power with support from the biden administration, which backed moÏse's claim that his term should end next year. human rights groups report

i'm amy goodman. the chief financial officer of the trump organization allen weisselberg surrendered to authorities early this morning. the manhattan district attorney's office is expected to file charges today against him and the trump organization after indictments by a grand jury. weisselberg has worked for donald trump and his family for nearly half a century. "the wall street journal" reports the charges are related to the evading of taxes on fringe benefits such as cars, apartments, and private-school tuition. many legal experts are speculating prosecutors are -- targeted weisselberg with the hope he will flip and help investigators in other ongoing probes into the former president's company. bill cosby was released from prison wednesday after the pennsylvania supreme court overturned his conviction for drugging and sexually assaulting andrea constand, a sports administrator at temple university. she was one of 60 women who have accused cosby of sexual assault dating back decades. in 2018, cosby

i'm amy goodman. president joe biden delivered a major voting rights speech in philadelphia tuesday, excoriating the republican party for election subversion and urging congress to pass the for the people act. but biden stopped short of calling for an end to the filibuster, which many now see as the only way to circumvent republican extraction is him -- obstructionism to pass voting rights legislation at the federal level. we'll have more on voting rights later in the broadcast with two of the texas democratic state representatives who helped lead this week's walkout to block the passage of texas republicans' so-called suppression session. as coronavirus cases continue to rise in the u.s., the biden administration has begun vaccinating people detained in immigration the customs the johnson & johnson covid-19 shot. around 20,000 people in ice custody have tested positive for the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, with nine confirmed covid deaths. the white house is hosting german chancellor a

i'm amy goodman. the world health organization says the number of new covid cases jumped 12% across the globe last week as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread. indonesia recorded 350,000 new cases ov the past week, a 44% increase and the highest total in the world. britain, which just lifted all covid restrictions, reported almost 300,000 cases. earlier today, thailand and south korea both set new daily records for covid infections. the who says the delta variant is now in 124 countries and will soon become the dominant coronavirus strain worldwide. this comes as china has rejected calls by the who to open another -- a new investigation into the origins of the pandemic. an earlier probe found it was extremely unlikely that the coronavirus escaped from a lab in wuhan where the first cases were detected. but many public health experts say key questions remain unanswered over the virus's origins. meanwhile, the united states has announced its borders with mexico and canada will remain

i'm amy goodman.s the opening ceremony for the summer olympics kicks off in tokyo today, in a mostly empty stadium, covid 19 cases linked to the games rose to 110. 13 athletes are among the positive cases. the majority of tokyo residents opposed the olympics going ahead amid a surge in the coronavirus. we'll have more on this after headlines. italy has introduced a "green pass" which restricts entry to stadiums, museums, theaters, indoor restaurants, and other social gathering places to only vaccinated people. here in the u.s., centers for disease control director dr. rochelle walensky warned the united states is at another pivotal moment in the pandemic, urging unvaccinated people yet again to get inoculated to protect themselves and their communities. hospitals in areas with the largest spikes in cases are warning things are likely to get much worse. this is erik frederick, chief administrative officer at mercy hospital in missouri. >> we are just starting to see this in your community and your vacc

i'm amy goodman.democrats in the texas house of representatives boarded chartered airplanes and flew to washington, d.c. in a bid to , monday block republican-backed voter suppression legislation. the extraordinary move denied republicans a quorum in the texas house, where republican governor greg abbott has convened a special session to pass legislation that, among other things, would ban 24-hour polling places and stop drop boxes and stop drive-thru voting. texas democrats flew from austin to the u.s. capital to demand congress pass the sweeping federal voting rights bill, the for the people act. this is texas state representative joe moody of el paso. >> the voter suppression going on in texas is just the tip of the iceberg. the clock is literally ticking on congress to act to protect voters in texas and across the country. amy: today, president biden is set to deliver his first major speech on voting rights since republicans deployed the filibuster to stall the for the people act. we'll have the l

i'm amy goodman. the u.s. supreme court has gutted what's left of the voting rights act by upholding two racially discriminatory voter laws in arizona. thursday's 6-to-3 ruling by the court's conservative majority will make it harder to challenge new voter suppression laws being pushed by republican state lawmakers across the country. in her dissent, justice elena kagan wrote -- "what is tragic here is that the court has yet again rewritten -- in order to weaken -- a statute that stands as a monument to america's greatness, and protects against its basest impulses. what is tragic is that the court has damaged a statute designed to bring about the end of discrimination in voting." in a second major ruling thursday, the supreme court struck down a california law requiring nonprofit organizations reveal the names of large dors tohe state the ca was broht by th amicans foprosperi foundation, a right-wing group founded by the koch brothers. election law experts predict the ruling could lead to challenges o

i'm amy goodman.at least 25 people were killed in china's henan province as it was battered with a year's worth of rain in three days. at least 12 of the victims perished in the subway system. amatic online video shows passengers trapped on underground trains, chest-high in flood water. meteorologists said that kind of rainfall happened "once in 1000 years." greenpeace warned china's cities would see even hotter summers and wetter rainy seasons due to the climate crisis. china has evacuated at least 200,000 ople. in siberia, 320,000 residents have been told to stay indoors amid record-breaking wildfires, with the city of yakutsk experiencing what might be one of the world's worst ever air pollution events. here in the united states, the skies were once again thick with haze as far east as new york city as the massive bootleg and other fires rage in the west. meanwhile, the great salt lake, the largest saltwater lake in the western hemisphere, has tied its all-time historic lowest level and is expected

i'm amy goodman.haiti's interim prime minister has declared a state of siege and imposed martial law following wednesday morning's assassination of president jovenel moÏse. the first lady of haiti was injured in the attack and was airlifted to a hospital in miami, where she is reportedly in critical but stable condition. haitian police say they've arrested two suspected assassins and kill four others in a gunfight. video from the scene shows the heavily armed attackerclaimed to be from the u.s. dea, the drug enforcement administration. u.s. state department spokesperson ned price dismissed those claims wednesday and condemned the assassination of the haitian president. >> those who seek to accomplish their political goals through violence and by subverting the rule of lawill not succeed in thwarting the haitian people and their desire for a better and brighter future. amy: the u.s. twice supported coups that removed haitian president jean-bertrand aristide from power -- first in 1991, then again in 20

i'm amy goodman. president joe biden says the u.s. military will complete its withdrawal from afghanistan by august 31, nearly two weeks ahead of the previous september 11 deadline. speaking from the white house thursday, biden said it would be up to afghans to determine their own future nearly two decades after the u.s.-led invasion and occupation. pres. biden: we did not go to afghanistan to nation build. it is the right and responsibility of afghan people alone to decide their future and how they want to run their country. i will not send another generation of americans to work on afghanistan with no reasonable expectation of achieving a dierent outcome. amy: and taliban delegation in moscow said friday the group now controls over 85% of afghan territories. the taliban has surrounded population cente, captured a key afghan border crossing with iran, and holds more than two-thirds of afghanistan's border with tajikistan. in haiti, two haitian-americans are among 17 suspects arrested over wednesday's

i'm amy goodman. president biden announced new requirements for civilian federal employees amid the surge in covid-19 cases from the rapidly spreading delta variant. president biden: every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. anyone who does not attest or is not vaccinated will be required to mask no matter where they work, test one or two times a week to see if they have acquired covid, socially distance, and generally will not be allowed to travel for work. amy: president biden also directed the pentagon to work towards a vaccine mandate for all military members and also called on states and local governments to use federal funding they received to offer a $100 incentive for vaccinations. new york city is launching that initiative today. meanwhile washington, d.c., has rejoined other localities in reinstating an indoor mask mandate for all. according to an internal cdc report, infections of the delta variant could be just as transmissible from breakthrough

i'm amy goodman.more arrests have been made in connection with last week's assassination of haitian president jovenel moÏse. christian emmanuel sanon is accused of working with the masterminds who plotted the killing after flying into haiti on a private jet. he is believed to be a haitian born florida-based doctor. haiti's police chief said 26 -- his forces are working with colombian officials. so far 26 colombians, including former soldiers, are expected in being involved in the assassination. 18 of them have been arrested, along with three haitians. five suspects remain at large. two haitian americans who were arrested last week claimed to have been acting as interpreters. the u.s. that it is sending senior fbi and dhs officials to port-au-prince but has so far denied request to send troops to haiti, those as it will increase u.s. military aid there. meanwhile unrest is growing in haiti and it's a political turmoil and the worsening economic crisis. >> politicians are fighting amongst themselves. ea

i'm amy goodman. at least four people, two of them athletes, have tested positive for covid-19 in tokyo's olympic village, ahead of the kick-off to the summer olympics later this week. meanwhile, one of tennis's biggest rising stars, 17-year-old american coco gauff, had to bow out of the competition after contracting covid-19. japanese officials announced earlier today, an unnamed american gymnast has also tested positive for covid. no spectators will be allowed at the olympics in tokyo, where there is very low public support for the event. in britain, prime minister boris johnson went into self-isolation over the weekend after coming into contact with u.k. health secretary sajid javid, who tested positive for jonhson delivered a message to the british people from isolation sunday, one day before the u.k. lifted its coronavirus restrictions. >> this is the right moment, but we've got to do it cautiously. we have two or this virus is still out there and cases are rising. the extreme contagiousness of t

i am amy goodman. today in this special broadcast, we begin with the words of frederick douglass. born into slavery around 1818, douglass became a key leader of the abolitionist movement. on july 5, 1852, in rochester, new york, he gave one of his most famous speeches, "what to the slave is the fourth of july?" he was addressing the rochester ladies' anti-slavery society. this is james earl jones reading the historic address during a performance of voices of a people's history of the united states co-edited by howard zinn. the latereat historian introduced the address. >> frederick douglass, once a slave, became a brilliant and powerful leader of the anti-slavery movement. in 1852, he was asked to speak in celebration of the fourth of july. frederick douglass: [read by james earl jones] fellow-citizens, pardon me, allow me to ask, why am i called upon to speak here today? what have i, or those i represent, to do with your national independence? are the great principles of political freedom and of natur

i'm amy goodman. special house committee investigating the deadly january 6 insurrection at the u.s. capitol heard testimony for the first time tuesday. four officers who were on the scene recounted the harrowing events of the day, after a mob of trump-instigated rioters breached the government building in an attempt to stop the certification of joe biden's electoral victory. this is capitol police officer aquilino gonell. >> we were suggested, it was something like it -- it was something like from a medieval battle. we fought hand to hand, inch by inch, to prevent an invasion of the capitol by a violent mob intent on subverting our democratic process. amy: officer michael fanone, who was violently dragged into the mob, beaten and shocked with a taser, said he and his family e still grappling with the trauma of that day. he also confronted the ongoing dismissal and denial by some of what happened that day. >> i feel like i went to hell and back to protect those in this room. too many are now saying th

i'm amy goodman. e senate has voted to open debate on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that contains $550 million in new spending. the bill is expected to include $110 billion for roads and bridges, $66 billion for passenger and freight ra projects, $65 billion for broadband internet, $55 billion for clean drinking water, and $39 billion for public transit. many republicans voted to advance the bill after democrats agreed to remove a proposal to strengthen the ability of the internal revenue service to catch tax cheats. senate majority leader chuck schumer praised the deal. sen. schumer: mr. president, i want to commend the senators who worked with president biden to reach an agreement on a bipartisan infrastructure deal. the senate has come together and in a strong bipartisan fashion, voted to begin the legislative process here on the senate floor. amy: democrats are also hoping to pass a separate $3.5 trillion bill through the reconciliation process, but that effort may be doomed after democratic

now with amy goodman, you know, they have their annual fund raising drives, that's what publicly funded media means. but now that they've all been co opted by corporations and there is no public media any more. you have a convention, para, that goes to the readily available public media outlets like youtube and others at this time. and they are providing an alternative that is out grossing the mainstream corporate lead media. and who have their genesis in the public airwaves, without which they have none of them would have existed. so it's come full circle and i think you're right. it is a matter of hubris. typically people come to believe that the free money that they've been given in the free or time that they been given through public access or somehow a birthright that they deserve. and their entitled to and they go bonkers. all right, we're going to take a break. and when we come back, much more coming your way, the me oh right now, there are 2000000000 people who are overweight or obese. it's profitable to sell food that is trinity and sugary and faulty and addicted not at the ind