Headlines for July 09, 2026 | Democracy Now!
You turn to us for voices you won’t hear anywhere else
HeadlinesJuly 09, 2026
Watch Headlines
Titulares en español
Listen
Media Options
Listen
Media Options
- Download Video
- Download Audio
- Other Formats
Trump Renews Threat to Commit War Crimes as U.S. Bombs Iran for Second Day
Jul 09, 2026
Image Credit: U.S. Central Command
The United States bombed Iran for a second consecutive night after President Trump declared the ceasefire to be over. Blasts were reported near the Bushehr nuclear power plant and in multiple cities across Iran, with the U.S. saying it had struck 90 targets, including near the Strait of Hormuz. According to the Iranian Health Ministry, at least 14 people have been killed since the U.S. resumed bombing
Meanwhile, Iran says it has retaliated by attacking “U.S. bases and strategic centers” in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, and Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight missiles in its airspace. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, says the United States “still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free.”
On Wednesday, President Trump spoke at the NATO summit in Turkey and threatened to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, saying, “They really deserve it.”
President Donald Trump: “Their electric manufacturing facilities, right? Their electric plants, where they make their electricity, and their — we will — if we have to, we’ll take them out. I don’t want to do that, but if we have to, we’ll take them out. They have desalinization plants. We’ll take them out if we have to. I hate to do that. That’s probably the one I would like not to do least. We attacked Kharg Island last night. We knocked out a piece. I said, ’Don’t touch the oil.’”
President Trump was speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During the same press conference, Trump mistakenly confused Iran and Japan
President Donald Trump: “I told this story yesterday. We had 111 missiles shot by the Islamic Republic of Japan.”
Topics:
- Iran
- Pentagon
- Donald Trump
- Bahrain
- Qatar
- Jordan
Assassinated Supreme Leader Khamenei to Be Laid to Rest in Iran After Multiday Funeral
Jul 09, 2026
The body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is being laid to rest today at a shrine in the city of Mashhad. It’s the culmination of a multiday funeral procession that has drawn millions of mourners, including foreign dignitaries and at least eight heads of state. On Wednesday, massive crowds joined funeral processions in Iraq’s holy cities of Najaf and Karbala for Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli airstrike on February 28 along with his daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law and 14-month-old granddaughter.
Topics:
- Iran
- Iraq
Israel Kills School Principal, Her Mother and Two Other Civilians in Lebanon Strike
Jul 09, 2026
Israel is continuing attacks on southern Lebanon, with reports of heavy bombings in the town of Taybeh. On Wednesday, Lebanon’s national news agency reported two men were killed in an Israeli drone strike in Nabatieh — Israel’s latest violation of its ceasefire deal with Lebanon. This follows an Israeli strike on Monday that killed four people, including public school principal Esperanza Ghandour and her mother. Ghandour had returned to Nabatieh to check on repairs at her war-damaged home following months of displacement, when Israel bombed her vehicle.
Topics:
- Israel
- Lebanon
Israeli Strikes on Gaza Kill 9, Including Driver Delivering Food for U.S. Charity
Jul 09, 2026
In Gaza, health officials report at least nine Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire over the last 24 hours. Among the victims is Ahmad Nasser Saleem, a driver who was delivering food for the U.S.-based nonprofit World Central Kitchen. In Khan Younis, an Israeli missile hit a tent for displaced people in the al-Mawasi area, killing at least four people, including a 10-year-old child. One survivor said he was asleep when the strikes hit
Oday Abu Nahel: “We were staying in the tents on the understanding that this area was safe, and people live in tents. By God, I was asleep when suddenly a missile struck. We came here and found the impact. There were martyrs and wounded. People were carrying them to ambulances, and they loaded them onto carts and took them all to the hospitals. A friend of mine, whose tent was next to mine, was injured, and his mother was injured, too.”
Topics:
- Gaza
- Israel & Palestine
Amnesty Asks U.S. to Secure Release of Gaza Doctor Following Reports of Torture in Israeli Jails
Jul 09, 2026
On Wednesday, Amnesty International appealed to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asking him to secure the immediate and unconditional release of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the prominent Palestinian pediatrician and director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital. He’s been held by Israel without charge since his abduction by Israeli troops 18 months ago. Amnesty says Abu Safiya faces an imminent threat to his life due to torture and medical neglect by his Israeli captors. It’s calling on the State Department to bring the U.S. into compliance with the Leahy Law, which prohibits U.S. financial or military aid to foreign security forces that commit gross human rights abuses. Click here to see our coverage of Dr. Safiya.
Topics:
- Israel & Palestine
- Gaza
- Torture
- Prison
- Human Rights
Trump Says Ukraine Can Manufacture Its Own Patriot Missiles
Jul 09, 2026
Russian missiles and drones rained down on Ukraine’s biggest cities overnight. Officials in Kyiv report three people were killed and several others injured. Among civilian sites hit was a 25-story residential high-rise. Russian strikes also killed four people in Odesa and three others in Kharkiv. Dozens were injured by the bombings
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s military said its drones attacked three more Russian oil refineries, along with pipeline pumping stations and Russian tankers operating in the Black Sea. Ukraine’s attacks on Russian energy sites have triggered acute fuel shortages. On Wednesday, the Kremlin announced a ban on diesel exports to support the domestic fuel market
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a series of high-level meetings at the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, including with President Trump, who said the U.S. plans to license Patriot missile technology to Ukraine. Trump also said the U.S. would support Ukraine’s efforts to strike deeper inside Russian territory. Russia’s Foreign Ministry denounced the decisions made at the NATO summit, saying they could lead to a “catastrophe.” At one point, President Trump called Zelensky “President Putin.”
Topics:
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Arms Trade
- Donald Trump
- Oil & Gas
- NATO
Maine Democrats Plan Nominating Convention as Graham Platner Suspends Senate Campaign
Jul 09, 2026
In Maine, Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner has suspended his campaign following a report he raped a former girlfriend in 2021. In recent days, most of Platner’s most high-profile supporters withdrew their endorsements, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren and Congressmember Ro Khanna. Democrats had been hoping the populist Marine veteran and oysterman would unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins in November. In a video message posted Wednesday night, Platner denied the rape allegation and said it was part of an effort to crush his campaign.
Graham Platner: “We live in a political system that is not built for normal people. It is a system that is built structurally to make sure that movements like ours cannot flourish, that if they begin to succeed, they can be crushed.”
The Maine Democratic Party says it’s planning a nominating convention to choose a new Senate nominee. The party has until July 27 to name a candidate. Possible contenders include Maine Governor Janet Mills; Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; Dr. Nirav Shah, a public health official who led Maine’s response to COVID; and progressive Troy Jackson, a lifetime logger and former president of Maine’s state Senate
Topics:
- Maine
- Democratic Party
- Senate
Kentucky Governor Demands Update on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Health
Jul 09, 2026
In other Senate news, questions continue to swirl about Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell’s health. He has been hospitalized since June 14. McConnell heads the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and is the former Senate majority leader. McConnell is set to retire after his term ends in January. On Wednesday, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear sent a letter to McConnell demanding he provide a health update. Meanwhile, McConnell’s wife Elaine Chao, the former U.S. labor and transportation secretary, has returned home from a trip to China. She had faced criticism for remaining in China after McConnell was hospitalized. In a statement, she wrote, “The Senator’s health did not warrant an immediate return to the U.S.”
Topics:
- Senate
- Kentucky
- Republican Party
- Trump’s Cabinet
- China
Judge Orders Release of Trump’s $5M Payment to E. Jean Carroll for Sexual Abuse and Defamation
Jul 09, 2026
A federal judge has ruled that E. Jean Carroll can collect $5.8 million from President Donald Trump. The money has been held in escrow since a jury found that Trump had sexually abused and defamed her. The judge’s ruling comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Trump’s appeal of the verdict. E. Jean Carroll had sued Trump for sexually assaulting her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s
Topics:
- Donald Trump
- Sexual Harassment & Abuse
“He Did Not Deserve to Die”: Family Demands Justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Shot Dead by ICE
Jul 09, 2026
The family of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is demanding an independent investigation into his death. The Mexican father was fatally shot in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday by an ICE officer who was driving an unmarked vehicle. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for decades and was driving a construction crew to a job site. His son, Ronaldo, spoke on Wednesday
Ronaldo Salgado: “He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of ‘Mexican man shot and killed by ICE.’ He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father, and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream. I would be doing his memory a disservice if I didn’t recognize the other three men who were with him, one of which was my uncle. All three men were rounded up. I have not heard from them.”
Topics:
- Texas
- Immigrant Rights
- Department of Homeland Security
- Mass Deportation
- Police Brutality
Man Shot in Memphis Is Fourth to Be Killed by Federal Task Force Agents
Jul 09, 2026
In Tennessee, a DEA agent shot and killed a man at a Memphis motel on Wednesday as members of a federal task force attempted to serve an arrest warrant. The U.S. Marshals Service alleges the suspect had pointed a gun at agents. The victim has not been identified. It’s the fourth deadly shooting by agents with the Trump administration’s so-called Memphis Safe Task Force, which includes members of the Tennessee National Guard and officers from more than a dozen federal agencies
On Monday, two National Guard soldiers fatally shot 20-year-old Tyrin Johnson as he was being pursued by Memphis police. His family is demanding video evidence corroborating police claims that Johnson first attempted to fire a gun at the soldiers
Just weeks earlier, a Homeland Security special agent shot 25-year-old Jonah Neal in his Memphis home. Neal’s family had called 911 to report he had a gun and was threatening to harm himself. He was pronounced dead at the scene
And on May 13, a DEA agent fatally shot 41-year-old Darrin Pigram as he worked his shift at a Memphis Burger King. Authorities say the officer opened fire after Pigram reached into his waistband for a gun. His family says he was unarmed and shot in the back
Topics:
- Tennessee
- Police Brutality
- Pentagon
- Department of Homeland Security
- Drug War
Former Wisconsin Judge Is Spared Prison Time for “Obstructing” ICE Agents at Her Courthouse
Jul 09, 2026
Image Credit: USA Today Network via Imagn
A former Wisconsin county judge has been spared prison time after she was convicted in federal court of obstructing federal agents from arresting an undocumented immigrant. Hannah Dugan was accused of helping the immigrant leave her courtroom in April 2025 to avoid arrest by agents waiting in the hallway. Instead of serving prison time, Dugan was fined $5,000
Topics:
- Wisconsin
- Mass Deportation
- Immigrant Rights
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.
Most popular
- 1
“What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech - 2
“Empire of AI”: Karen Hao on How AI Is Threatening Democracy & Creating a New Colonial World - 3
Trump’s Corruption, Birthright Citizenship & Olympian Charged w/ Touching Reflecting Pool: Norm Eisen - 4
Journalist Karen Hao on Sam Altman, OpenAI & the “Quasi-Religious” Push for Artificial Intelligence
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
