As a psychologist identified as the "architect" of the CIA's torture program admits he personally waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, we look at allegations that the American Psychological Association -- the largest association of psychologists in the world -- secretly colluded with U.S. abuses. Speaking to Vice News, retired Air Force psychologist James Mitchell confirmed for the first time he personally waterboarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Mitchell was hired to help create the interrogation program along with his partner, Dr. Bruce Jessen. The Senate report says Mitchell and Jessen were paid $81 million to help design the CIA’s torture methods, including some of the most abusive tactics. The Senate's findings come as the American Psychological Association has launched a review to determine whether its leadership also played a role in CIA torture. The APA's probe was prompted by revelations from Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times investigative reporter James Risen. In his new book, "Pay Any Price," Risen reveals how after the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, the APA formed a task force that enabled the continued role of psychologists in the torture program. There has been a deep division within the APA's policy on interrogations for years. Unlike the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, the APA never prohibited its members from being involved in interrogations. Democracy Now! speaks with two guests: Steven Reisner, a founding member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology and psychological ethics adviser to Physicians for Human Rights; and Alfred McCoy, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of "A Question of Torture: CIA Interrogation, from the Cold War to the War on Terror," as well as "Torture and Impunity: The U.S. Doctrine of Coercive Interrogation." ||| Visit http://democracynow.org to watch the full daily news program, read the transcript, or search our vast online archive. Livestream weekdays 8-9am ET. Livestream weekdays 8-9am ET. Follow Democracy Now! on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Tumblr, Stitcher, SoundCloud, iTunes, TuneIn, Google+ and Pinterest.


After Duo Created CIA Torture Methods, Did World's Largest Group of Psychologists Enable Abuses?

Headlines for December 08, 2025; “Murder on the High Seas”: War Crimes Prosecutor Reed Brody on Trump’s Boat Strikes; “I Was Pepper-Sprayed”: Rep. Adelita Grijalva on ICE Raid, Epstein Files, Rising Health Costs & More; “Domestic Terrorism”: Leaked DOJ Memo Targets “Anti-Americanism, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-Christianity”; “The Problem with Plastic”: Former EPA Official on How to Save the Planet Before It’s Too Late

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Monday, December 8, 2025

Headlines for December 09, 2025; “Merger Madness”: Trump at Center of Rival Netflix-Paramount Bids for Warner Bros.; “Honor Our History”: Trump Slammed for Ending Free National Park Entry on Juneteenth & MLK Day; Save Mumia’s Eyesight: Supporters March to Prison to Demand Medical Care for Him & Aging Prisoners

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Headlines for December 10, 2025; Will the International Community Act? Preschool Massacre & “Large Piles of Bodies” in Sudan; “Torture & Enforced Disappearances” at Florida’s ICE Jails “Alligator Alcatraz” & Krome; Trump Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt’s Nephew’s Mother Released from ICE Jail, Faces Deportation; Despite Judge’s Order, ICE Deports Shackled Babson College Freshman, Harasses Her Family in Texas; What Activists Can Learn from Rosa Parks on the 70th Anniversary of Montgomery Bus Boycott

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Democracy Now! Thursday, December 11, 2025

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Thursday, December 11, 2025

By Amy Goodman & Denis Moynihan
This month marks the 70th anniversary of Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. Her courageous act triggered the historic Montgomery bus boycott, launched the career of a young preacher named Martin Luther King, Jr., and changed the world.

Column — From Rosa Parks to National Parks: Trump's Racism and Bigotry Demand Resistance

Headlines for December 12, 2025; From COVID to Hepatitis to Measles, RFK Jr. Is Gutting Vaccine Science: An Ex-CDC Expert Speaks Out; “Watched, Tracked & Targeted”: Gaza Writer Mohammed Mhawish on Life Under Israeli Surveillance; Trump Gold/Platinum Card: Amid Immigrant Crackdown, U.S. Sells Visas for Up to $5 Million; “A Force of Terror”: Rep. Delia Ramirez on ICE Abuses & Her Push to Impeach DHS Chief Kristi Noem

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Friday, December 12, 2025

Headlines for December 15, 2025; Antony Loewenstein on the Hanukkah Massacre in Sydney & the Muslim Food Vendor Who Saved Lives; Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi Arrested Again in Iran; Meet Mia Tretta: Shot 6 Years Ago, Brown Student Speaks Out After Surviving 2nd School Shooting

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Monday, December 15, 2025

Headlines for December 16, 2025; “We’re Angry”: Brown Univ. Student & Parkland Survivor Zoe Weissman Demands Action on Gun Violence; Homelessness Is About Affordability: Author Patrick Markee on the Housing Crisis in “New Gilded Age”; From “Alligator Alcatraz” to Gaza: U.S. Companies Line Up for Lucrative Gaza Contracts Under Trump

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Headlines for December 17, 2025; A Path to WWIII? Greg Grandin on Venezuela, Trump’s “Madman Doctrine” & More; Chile’s Trump? Ariel Dorfman on the Election of Pinochet Admirer José Antonio Kast; How Did Epstein Get Rich? The New York Times Investigates His “Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons”

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Wednesday, December 17, 2025

Headlines for December 18, 2025; “Divorced from Reality”: Economist Dean Baker Fact-Checks Trump’s Primetime Speech; Meet Tania Nemer, Fired Immigration Judge Suing Trump Admin Amid Purge of Immigration Court System; “No Military Solution”: Is Peace Possible in Sudan as “Proxy War” Expands?

Democracy Now! is a daily independent news hour hosted by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González. Visit democracynow.org to watch and listen to the latest interviews, read through show transcripts, search the vast news archive or to make a donation to support our nonprofit news program. Livestream weekdays 8 a.m. ET.

Democracy Now! Thursday, December 18, 2025

An independent daily global news hour, anchored by award-winning journalists Amy Goodman and Juan González, broadcast weekdays on 1,400+ radio and TV stations. Livestream the show weekdays from 8AM to 9AM ET at http://www.democracynow.org.