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This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

Cuba is facing a growing humanitarian crisis due to a U.S.-imposed oil blockade. The Trump administration has also threatened new tariffs against any nation that sends fuel to Cuba, which has been under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962. These measures have caused fuel shortages and widespread blackouts, while the cost of food and transportation has skyrocketed. “This is a massive violation of human rights,” says Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Cuban ambassador to the United Nations. “It’s a massive violation of international law.”

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Faith leaders in North Carolina are leading a three-day trek from Wilson to Raleigh in an event aimed at supporting “unabridged voting rights; living wages and ending poverty; welcoming immigrants,” and more. Reverend Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove spoke with Democracy Now! from the march, saying that “love is the power that can overcome fear in this moment.” As North Carolina faces a President Trump-led gerrymandering effort, Wilson-Hartgrove hopes that the event will mobilize voters across the state.

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The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to require proof of U.S. citizenship in the November midterm elections. If it becomes law, it would be the “worst voter suppression bill ever passed by Congress,” according to Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. “The bill really combines a lot of the worst things that Republicans want to do with regards to voting, and it comes at a time when Trump appears dead set to try to interfere in the midterm elections,” he adds.

Wednesday’s vote sends the legislation on to the Republican-led Senate, where it is expected to receive a vote but unlikely to garner the 60-vote, filibuster-proof majority needed for passage.

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Democracy Now! Friday, February 13, 2026

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• Trump Halts "Endangerment Finding" That Gave EPA Power to Regulate Greenhouse Gases
• Senate Rejects Homeland Security Funding Bill, Teeing Up Partial Government Shutdown
• Trump Administration Says It's Ending Surge of Immigration Agents to Minnesota
• Marine Vet Says Feds in Minneapolis Sampled His DNA and Cloned His Phone Without Warrant
• IRS Improperly Shared Taxpayer Data with DHS as Part of Trump's Immigration Crackdown
• Federal Judge Orders Return of Venezuelans Deported to Notorious Prison in El Salvador
• "I Felt Like an Animal": Palestinian Activist Leqaa Kordia Describes Abuse in ICE Custody
• High Court Rules U.K. Government's Ban on Palestine Action Unlawful
• Mexico Sends Humanitarian Aid to Cuba as U.S. Tightens Blockade
• Venezuela's Interim Leader Takes U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Tour of Oil Facilities
• Rep. Ro Khanna Demands DOJ Unredact Name of Politician Who Wrote 2016 Email to Jeffrey Epstein
• Epstein Files Set Off Political Storm in Norway, Prompt Resignations at Goldman Sachs & DP World
• Judge Rules Hegseth "Trampled" Sen. Mark Kelly's First Amendment Rights in Retribution Effort
• LGBTQ+ Activists Raise Pride Flag Over Stonewall After Its Removal by Trump Administration

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Democracy Now! 2026-02-13 Friday

• Headlines for February 13, 2026
• House Passes "Worst Voter Suppression Bill Ever" in Latest Push to Help Trump Take Over Elections
• "Love Forward Together": Faith Leaders in North Carolina Launch 50-Mile March for Social Justice
• "Policy of Aggression": Cuba's U.N. Ambassador Denounces U.S. Oil Blockade, Push to Topple Government

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This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

As we continue to look at Wednesday’s contentious hearing of the House Judiciary Committee, we speak with Vermont Congressmember Becca Balint, who walked out after Attorney General Pam Bondi accused her of supporting antisemitism. Balint, who is Jewish and whose grandfather died in the Holocaust, had just asked Bondi to meet with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein — a demand that Bondi repeatedly ignored during the hearing.

“It was just heartbreaking to watch the attorney general act in this way, especially when survivors have waited, over the course of decades, for justice,” Balint tells Democracy Now!

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Authorities in Iran have arrested the Oscar-nominated screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian in Tehran. Mahmoudian co-wrote the film It Was Just an Accident with dissident director Jafar Panahi, and their film is nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature at this year’s Academy Awards. Mahmoudian was arrested after signing a public statement condemning Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, as well as the brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, calling it “an organized state crime against humanity.” Panahi, who also signed the statement alongside 15 others, recently spoke with Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Panahi described meeting Mehdi when they were both imprisoned, which led to their creative partnership. “Because he had spent nine years of his life in prison, I knew that he had a deep understanding of different people in the society, and for that reason, I invited him to this film to help with writing the dialogues, because he knew the different characters of this film very well,” Panahi said.

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President Donald Trump held a lengthy meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday at the White House, where the two leaders discussed ongoing nuclear talks with Iran. Trump has said he wants to reach a deal with Iran about the country’s nuclear program, which Tehran insists is only for peaceful civilian purposes but which the U.S. and Israel claim is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran after the Iranian government crushed a wave of anti-government protests, killing thousands of people. The Pentagon is also reportedly preparing to move a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, raising pressure on Iran’s leadership.

“What Netanyahu is seeking to do with this visit is to inject poison pills into the negotiations in order to ensure that they fail, and thereby set the stage for a new armed conflict with Iran,” says Middle East analyst Mouin Rabbani.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi testified Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, where she repeatedly refused to answer questions about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. She also refused to apologize to Epstein survivors over the botched release of files, some of which contained survivors’ personal information and even uncensored nude photographs. During the hearing, Bondi was photographed consulting a binder that appeared to show the search history of lawmakers who visited the Justice Department to examine the unredacted Epstein files in person.

“Essentially, they were spying on us,” says Democratic Congressmember Pramila Jayapal. “It’s certainly not going to stop me from continuing to review the files, but it is absolutely outrageous.”

Jayapal also condemns the Justice Department for refusing to open new investigations into Epstein’s associates listed in the files. “These were rich, powerful, wealthy people, mostly men, who groomed, raped, abused, manipulated young girls,” she says.

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• AG Bondi Hurls Insults at Lawmakers as She Defends Handling of Epstein Files
• Trump Says "Nothing Definitive" Decided on Iran After Hourslong Meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu
• Thousands Protest in Melbourne as Israeli President Herzog Wraps Australia Tour
• Video Shows ICE Agents Breaking Into Home of Pennsylvania Family
• St. Paul Mayor Demands ICE Leave Minnesota After Federal Agents' Pursuit Ends in Multi-Car Crash
• ICE Jailing Immigrants at Previously Undisclosed Floor of Manhattan Federal Building
• New Body-Camera Footage and Emails Released in CBP Shooting of Marimar Martinez
• FAA Closed El Paso Airspace After CBP Fired Anti-Drone Laser at Party Balloon
• House Passes Bill to Repeal Trump's Tariffs on Canada
• Trump Accepts Washington Coal Club's Inaugural Award 
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Fires Alexis Goldstein for Documenting DOGE Meeting
• Argentina's Senate Approves Sweeping New Labor Bill Pushed by Far-Right President Milei

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Democracy Now! Thursday, February 12, 2026

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Democracy Now! 2026-02-12 Thursday

• Headlines for February 12, 2026
• "Massive Cover-Up": Rep. Jayapal Slams AG Pam Bondi over Epstein Files & Spying on Lawmakers
• Netanyahu Seeks to Kill U.S.-Iran Talks to Start Another War: Mouin Rabbani
• Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Jafar Panahi Speaks Out on Jailing of Screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian in Iran
• "I Was Just So Disgusted": Jewish Rep. Balint Walks Out of Hearing After Bondi Calls Her Antisemitic

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This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.

This post was originally published on Democracy Now!.