You turn to us for voices you won't hear anywhere else.

Sign up for Democracy Now!'s Daily Digest to get our latest headlines and stories delivered to your inbox every day.

HeadlinesNovember 18, 2015

Watch Headlines
Listen
Media Options
Listen

France: 7 Detained, 2 Killed in Raid Seeking Paris Attack Suspect

Nov 18, 2015

In France, at least seven people have been detained and two have been killed after a series of gun battles and a police raid on an apartment in a northern suburb of Paris. Authorities said the operation targeted a Belgian man accused of masterminding the Paris attacks that killed 129 people Friday. Abdelhamid Abaaoud was initially said to be in Syria. Early this morning, French police stormed an apartment in Saint-Denis, where a woman reportedly killed herself by detonating an explosive vest. A second suspect was killed, reportedly from gunfire and a grenade. At the time of this broadcast, authorities say it’s unclear whether Abaaoud was in the apartment. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve discussed the operation.

Bernard Cazeneuve: “Since 4:00 this morning, French special forces police have carried out an operation to neutralize terrorists. Seven people were arrested. Two people have died, including a woman, by explosives.”

Five police officers were wounded and a police dog was killed in the hours-long operation. Meanwhile, authorities in Belgium have charged two men with assisting Salah Abdeslam, a second fugitive suspect in the Paris attacks, by driving him to Brussels. Abdeslam’s family has called for him to turn himself in. Amid security fears Tuesday, authorities in Hanover, Germany, abruptly canceled a soccer match following a “concrete tip” about a planned bomb attack. Two Air France flights bound for Paris from the United States were diverted over reports of bomb threats.

Report: Russia Bombed 10 Medical Facilities in Syria

Nov 18, 2015

France, Russia and the United States have launched fresh airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria. This comes as a U.S.-based human rights group accused Russia of bombing at least 10 medical facilities in Syria last month. Physicians for Human Rights said it chronicled 16 attacks total on Syrian medical establishments in October alone, the highest tally in the conflict to date.

GOP Lawmakers Call for Pausing Syrian Refugee Program

Nov 18, 2015

Friday’s deadly attacks in Paris have set off a storm of calls to close borders and reject refugees fleeing Syria. In the United States, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have called for a “pause” in the U.S. program accepting Syrian refugees, and governors of at least 27 U.S. states have said they will not accept the refugees. The White House held a conference phone call with 34 governors Tuesday. President Obama said attempts to block refugees are “offensive and contrary to American values.”

President Obama: “We’re open to hearing actual ideas, but that’s not really what’s been going on in this debate. When candidates say we wouldn’t admit three-year-old orphans, that’s political posturing. When individuals say that we should have a religious test and that only Christians—proven Christians—should be admitted, that’s offensive and contrary to American values.”

We’ll have more on Syrian refugees with Peter Bouckaert of Human Rights Watch and California Congressmember Barbara Lee after headlines.

Paris Climate March in Doubt amid Post-Attack Crackdown

Nov 18, 2015

It remains unclear exactly how the upheaval in Paris will impact the United Nations climate change summit, which opens in Paris November 30. Environmentalists from around the world have planned a massive march with 200,000 people expected the day before talks begin. Ahead of the summit, the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to block President Obama’s new regulations to cut carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. This all comes after last month shattered records, becoming by far the warmest October ever recorded worldwide. We’ll have more on the Paris climate talks and the outlook for protests later in the broadcast.

Nigeria: 32 Killed in Boko Haram Attack on Market

Nov 18, 2015

In Nigeria, at least 32 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a crowded market in the northeastern city of Yola. It’s the latest in a series of deadly attacks attributed to the militant group Boko Haram. The attack comes just days after Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari visited the area and deemed Boko Haram “very close to defeat.”

U.S. OKs $1.29B Arms Deal to Saudi Arabia Despite War Crime Fears

Nov 18, 2015

The Obama administration has announced approval of a $1.29 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia, despite reports of possible war crimes in Yemen. The State Department approved the sale of tens of thousands of bombs, as well as munitions and other weaponry, produced by Boeing and Raytheon. The weapons replenish stocks used by Saudi Arabia in the U.S.-backed bombing campaign in Yemen, where Amnesty International has warned of apparent war crimes by the Saudi-led coalition. Meanwhile, executions in Saudi Arabia have reached a 20-year high, with more than 150 people executed this year.

Report: Up to 240,000 Texas Women Have Tried to Self-Induce Abortions

Nov 18, 2015

In the United States, a new report reveals at least 100,000 women in the state of Texas have attempted to self-induce an abortion. The groundbreaking study by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project comes as the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a sweeping Texas anti-choice law. Since the law passed in 2013, about half of the state’s 41 abortion clinics have closed. The study found as many as 240,000 Texas women have tried to end a pregnancy without medical assistance, citing restrictions including a lack of funds to travel to a clinic or the fact their local clinic had shut down.

Kentucky: State’s Last Full-Time Abortion Clinic Vandalized Twice

Nov 18, 2015

In Kentucky, the state’s last remaining full-time abortion clinic has been vandalized for the second time in less than a month. Last week, a man threw a rock through the glass door of EMW Women’s Surgical Center in Louisville, just two weeks after another man hurled himself into the clinic’s window, shattering it. The clinic’s executive director told Insider Louisville: “We’re not angry, we’re not afraid, we’re just really sad that the mentality out there isn’t more understanding and compassionate for women.”

Spanish Judge Issues Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu over Flotilla Raid

Nov 18, 2015

A Spanish judge has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and seven other former and current Israeli officials over the deadly 2010 Israeli raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Nine people were killed when Israeli commandos stormed the Mavi Marmara in international waters; a 10th died after four years in a coma. The case against Israeli officials in Spain emerged after Spanish activists on board the flotilla sued Netanyahu. The judge’s move means Netanyahu could be detained and questioned if he steps foot in Spain.

Philippines: Obama Faces Protest at APEC over U.S. Military Actions

Nov 18, 2015

President Obama faced protests over the role of the U.S. military as he arrived in the Philippines for the APEC summit. His visit comes as the Philippines Supreme Court considers a constitutional challenge to a military deal that would grant U.S. troops broad access to military bases in the Philippines. Diego Torres was among the activists who gathered to oppose Obama’s arrival in Manila.

Diego Torres: “Today, Obama will arrive in the Philippines, and this is our welcome for him—a protest that rejects his presence because we do not want the leader of the United States, the chief architect of aggression and cruelty toward many nations around the world, to land in the Philippines.”

Statoil Ends Arctic Oil Drilling Program

Nov 18, 2015

The Norwegian oil company Statoil has announced it’s ending its Arctic oil drilling program, even though its stakes in the Arctic don’t expire until 2020. The move comes after Shell walked away from its oil drilling program in the Arctic after spending $7 billion on it.

Report: Carson Advisers Say He Struggles with Foreign Policy

Nov 18, 2015

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s own advisers have acknowledged he is struggling to comprehend foreign policy. Carson, who is the leading Republican candidate in some polls, has blundered on the topic of foreign policy, including wrongly claiming China is involved militarily in Syria. Speaking to The New York Times, a top Carson adviser said, “Nobody has been able to sit down with [Carson] and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East.”

Bobby Jindal Ends Presidential Campaign

Nov 18, 2015

Meanwhile, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has ended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. After failing to gain much traction, Jindal said Tuesday it was not his time.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: “So, look, we announced, obviously, today we are suspending the presidential campaign. Look, I am honored to have had the chance to run for president of the United States. My parents came here 45 years ago in search of freedom and opportunity. Never in a million years would they have imagined that I could be governor, much less run for president. This wasn’t our time.”

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top