NOW PLAYING == Democracy Now! 6/11/26: "They Have Never Faced an Adversary Like Iran": Rami Khouri on Latest U.S.-Iran Strikes
https://youtu.be/N1V6S8ZtVbo?si=ITEqEUizx6OXteXb
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NOW PLAYING == Democracy Now! 6/11/26: "World Cup of Exclusion": Games Begin Amid U.S. Visa Restrictions, High Ticket Costs & Iran War
https://youtu.be/e2avTf3IZXo?si=1RG6rbrP_xCPbXQ7
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NOW PLAYING == Democracy Now! 6/11/26: World Cup Kicks Off in Mexico Amid Protests Against Austerity and Forced Disappearances
https://youtu.be/4RzGNCKiD7w?si=2zOlEH2jk7F54u9h
#news #war #peace #uspol #geopolitics #antiwar #journalism #independentmedia #democracynow #AmyGoodman #JuanGonzález #NermeenShaikh #vsn #radio #SupportIndependentMedia #DiverseSpectrumOfTheLeft #Resist
NOW PLAYING == Democracy Now! 6/11/26: "Keep the Game Beautiful": Why ICE Crackdown & FIFA Greed Could Spoil the World Cup
https://youtu.be/NIk651--ZXg?si=uQy06rR9jEclGCyj
#news #war #peace #uspol #geopolitics #antiwar #journalism #independentmedia #film #democracynow #AmyGoodman #JuanGonzález #NermeenShaikh #vsn #radio #SupportIndependentMedia #DiverseSpectrumOfTheLeft #Resist
"Keep the Game Beautiful": Why ICE Crackdown & FIFA Greed Could Spoil the World Cup http://www.democracynow.org/2026/6/11/world_cup_ice
“People are really, really afraid … that ICE will go and raid communities where people are watching and gathering together” to watch the FIFA World Cup, says Nelini Stamp. She is an organizer with the Our Copa campaign, a grassroots initiative that aims to protect immigrant fans, center the sport’s working-class roots, and host accessible local watch parties during the World Cup. “We will keep each other safe as much as possible during these games,” says Stamp.
World Cup Kicks Off in Mexico Amid Protests Against Austerity and Forced Disappearances http://www.democracynow.org/2026/6/11/world_cup_mexico
We continue our World Cup coverage in Mexico City, where local protesters are using the global event to bring attention to their causes. A sit-in by a teachers’ union is targeting World Cup festivities. And “the mothers of disappeared people have been protesting, trying to reach the stadium in the far south of the city,” says José Luis Granados Ceja, who covers Latin America for Drop Site News. Meanwhile, due to high ticket prices, “the people who love this sport are not going to be able to attend the games. They have been extraordinarily inaccessible to the population,” adds Granados Cejas.
Will Congress Renew Controversial Surveillance Law? Electronic Frontier Foundation's Cindy Cohn http://www.democracynow.org/2026/6/11/cindy_cohn_eff
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 of the U.S., yet, 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. A bipartisan group of senators is opposing the reauthorization of Section 702 due to President Trump’s naming of MAGA loyalist Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence, to replace Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation in May. Pulte has no known background in intelligence. He currently serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, where he has used his position to carry out Trump’s campaign of retribution against his political enemies. “It took this nomination of a completely unqualified guy to get enough members of Congress to really stop [Section 702],” says Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “It’s time to take a look and listen hard about the privacy protections that are needed, at a minimum, for this program to go forward.” Cohn notes that the “massive national security surveillance state that was built after 9/11 has always been a threat to freedom.”
The U.S. has never faced an adversary like #Iran
The U.S. struck Iran on Wednesday for a second day in a row, and President Trump is threatening more strikes. Iran has claimed it launched retaliatory missiles at a U.S. Navy fleet in Bahrain, as well as at U.S. air bases in Kuwait and Jordan. Iran has also declared the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, despite claims by the U.S. that it now effectively controls the strait. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the U.S. strikes have rendered the ceasefire “practically meaningless.” The last time that the U.S. and Iran spoke directly was in April, but talks have been continuing through intermediaries. It is Israel, not the U.S. and Iran, that doesn’t want the war to end, argues journalist Rami Khouri. “Israel has made it clear that it’s not going to do what the U.S. tells it,” says Khouri. He adds that the U.S. doesn’t know how to get out of the war or how to “rein in” Israel. “So, I expect we’re going to see a continuation of these tit-for-tat military strikes.”
The FIFA World Cup kicks off today with two games in Mexico. This will be the biggest World Cup in history, with teams from 48 countries playing over 100 games in 16 host cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States. With a new FIFA pricing system in place, tickets are significantly more expensive for this World Cup than for previous tournaments. And Trump’s harsh immigration policies are having another chilling effect on the games. Out of the 39 countries under either a full or partial U.S. travel ban, four — Iran, Haiti, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal — are expected to play in the World Cup. Players from the latter three countries received visa exemptions, while the Iranian team must train in Tijuana, Mexico. “This World Cup is shaping up to be one of extreme exclusion,” says author and former professional soccer player Jules Boykoff. “Working-class fans basically have no chance of buying a ticket to these games … and you have people who have chosen not to come to the United States because they fear getting scooped up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
We continue our World Cup coverage in Mexico City, where local protesters are using the global event to bring attention to their causes. A sit-in by a teachers’ union is targeting World Cup festivities. And “the mothers of disappeared people have been protesting, trying to reach the stadium in the far south of the city,” says José Luis Granados Ceja, who covers Latin America for Drop Site News. Meanwhile, due to high ticket prices, “the people who love this sport are not going to be able to attend the games. They have been extraordinarily inaccessible to the population,” adds Granados Cejas.
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