Democracy Now! Audio Democracy Now! 2025-12-29 Monday
Dec 29, 2025
U.S. airstrikes in Nigeria are framed as a Christmas 'present' by President Trump, raising questions about their impact amid Nigeria's ongoing insecurity. A discussion on the effects of USAID cuts reveals how poverty breeds violence. In the UK, Palestine Action activists continue their hunger strike, illuminating serious health risks and urgent demands for proper treatment. Meanwhile, an HBO documentary uncovers the controversial death of Anastasio Hernandez-Rojas, highlighting issues of violence and cover-up within Border Patrol.
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Political Messaging Drove Nigeria Strikes
- President Trump framed U.S. strikes in Nigeria as a "Christmas present," linking military action to his domestic political base.
- Yinka Adegoke argues this rhetoric exports U.S. culture wars and misrepresents Nigeria's complex security problems.
Aid Cuts Fuel Local Instability
- Cutting USAID and development aid weakens local resilience and can exacerbate insecurity in remote regions.
- Yinka Adegoke connects development gaps, climate stress, and unemployment to rising violence in northern Nigeria.
Selective Refugee Policy Reveals Bias
- U.S. visa bans alongside selective refugee intake reveal ideological priorities, not consistent humanitarian policy.
- Adegoke highlights allowing white South Africans but barring Nigerians as a contradictory stance.