Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20170111

Senate, president elect donald Trump Nominee for attorney general republican senator Jeff Sessions, was to reap reputedly interrupted by protesters. We will get response from whorend dr. William barber led a protest of hundreds on monday in the capital and with democratic commerce member Luis Gutierrez. Let me tell you where i will not be on inauguration day. I will not be here or outside at the ceremony. Event im going to is on generate 21st. The womens march on washington. Amy we will get response from president obamas farewell address in chicago tuesday night. Pres. Obama after my election there was talk of a Postracial America. In such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. And often divisive force in our society. Amy we will speak with dr. William barber and congressman to tears about how white supremacist and convicted murderer dylann roof has received the Death Penalty for murdering nine black worshipers. We will talk about the push for president obama to grant clemency to Oscar Lopez Rivera. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peacace report. Im amy goodman. Potentially explosive news surfaced yesterday of unsubstantiated reports which have already been presented to president elect donald trump, president obama, and the nations top lawmakers, and have now been published online by buzzfeed that claim russia has compromising information onn trump p and that trumps the new about alleged leaking of Democratic Party emails during the 2016 president ial campaign. The allegations were summarized in a twopage appendix to a report on russian interference in the election, which trump was briefed on last week. The summaryry is babased on thes compileded by a former British Intelligence operative. The information,hich is nonot been independently verified by the f ei, nor any major media alleged, includes claims that trump representatives met multiple times with russian officials during the 2016 campaign and discuss the hacking of the dnc. The memos allege russia has a sex tape of trump from 2013 involving sex workers. Cncnn is reportiting some of the allegations s were reported to p wmakakers ringng claifiedd briefings last fall. In october, then Senate Democratic leader harry reid sent a letter did the fbi director writing it has become clear you possess explosive information about close ties and coordination between donald trump, his top advisors, and the russian government, a foreign interest openly hospital to the United States. The guardian is reporting the fbi applied for warned over the summer from the secret fisa court in order to monitor top Trump Campaign members who the fbi suspected of being in communication with russian officials. The guardian reports the fisa court rejected the fbis initial applicication. Mother jones wasas the first outlet to report some of these allegations in an article the week before the election. In response to the publication of the unsubstantiated t them i, journalist Glenn Greenwald expressed skepticism tweeting in anonymous person coming to be a next British Intelligence and working as a dem oppo researcher said anonymous people told him things. Following the news reports tuesday, comedian seth meyers question trump adviser Kellyanne Conway about the reports. Conway was recently named by trump to the position of counselor to the p president. This clip begins with conway. We should be concerned that intelligence officials leaked to the press and wont go until the president elect or the presesidt of the united ststates himself now, mr. Obama, what the information is. But the report the press report and delegation. About them going to the president. And said that they never briefed him on it. I believe it said they did briefed him on it. He has said he is not aware of that. Ok. That concerns me. No. No. I understand it is not true. What is not true, that im concerned . I assure you i am. Amy trump tweeted donald trump slated to give his first News Conference in nearly six months today. Trumps last News Conference was july 27 when you called on russia to hack Hillary Clintons imo servers. President elect Donald Trumps nominee for u. S. Attorney general, republican senator Jeff Sessions of alabama faced more , than nine hours of testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee, during which he denied being a racist and tried to distance himself from trumps most extreme positions. The hearing was repeatedly disrupted by protesters who chanted no trump, no kkk, no fascist usa. During one interruption, protesters wore white, hooded robes and pretended to be members of the ku klux klan. Thank you so much for being here, folks. Wait, you cannot arrest me. I am white. White people dont get arrested. Wait a minute. What do we have to do, wait for the inauguration . I am a white man. You cannot take me out of here. Amy during his two decades on capitol hill, senator sessions has opposed legislation that provides a path to citizenship for immigrants, questioned if the constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States, criticized the courts for interpreting the separation of church and state too broadly, and has declared samesex marriage a threat to american culture. He also voted against reauthorizing the violence against women act, opposed the Voting Rights act, and has history of making racist comments which included reportedly saying he thought the ku klux klan was, quote, ok until i found out they smoked pot. In 1986, Coretta Scott king wrote a letter opposing sessions for a federal judgeship, writing the irony of mr. Sessions nomination is that, if confirmed, he will be given a life tenure for doing with a federal prosecution what the local sheriffs accomplished 20 years ago with clubs and cattle prods. I believe his confirmation would have a devastating effect on not only the judicial system in alabama, but also on the progress we have made toward fulfilling my husbands dream. Sessssions w was not c confirmer the federal judgeship in over 1986 concerns about his history of racist comments. We will have more on senator s confirmation hearing after headlines. Confirmation hearings are continuing on capitol hill today with day two of questioning for sessions, along with a hearing for trumps transporortation secretary pick elaine chao, and another for his choice for secretary of state, longtime ceo of exxonmobil rex tillerson. Tillerson step down from his position in december. He could face questions about his ties to russian presidenent Vladimir Putin and his position on trumps vow to canancel the paris clclate accordrd. Opponents also want tillerson to respond to allegations that under his leadership, exxonmobil had a policy of promoting human rights, but continued to work in Close Partnership with repressive regimes. A handful of the confirmation hearings scheduled for this week have been delayed after concerns the nominees had not been vetted by the office of government ethics. As of monday afternoon, the ethics disclosure reports for four Trump Nominees slated to go before the senate this week had not been made public at all. The hearings have now been delayed for betsy devos, trumps education secretary nominee, kansas congressman mike pomeo for cia director, billionaire wilbur ross for commerce secretary, and Andrew Puzder for labor secretary. Workers at carls jr. And hardees the t two fast food chains run by trumps labor secretary pick Andrew Puzder spoke about widespread wage theft and abuse at his restaurants on tuesday during a forum hosted by massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and washington senator patty murray. A survey by Restaurant Opportunities Center united has found a shocking twothirds of women working at puzders restaurants experience Sexual Harassment at work. One third of puzder workers said theyve had some of their wages stolen or not received required breaks. The report also called into question the food Safety Standards at puzders restaurants, with nearly 80 of puzder workers saying theyd prepared or served food while theyey were sick. President obama gave his farewell president ial address at chicagos Mccormick Place Convention Center tuesday night. In the sweeping, and at times emotional speech, president obama spoke about everything from the Affordable Care act to his love for his wife and best first Lady Michelle obama. He also offered veiled critiques of president elect Donald Trumps antiimmigrant and xenophobic campaign proposals, and invoked what he called the countrys call to citizenship. Pres. Obama for 240 years, our nations call to citizenship has given work and purpose to each new generation. It is what led patriots to choose republic over tyranny, pioneers to trek west, slaves to brave that makeshift railroad to. Reedom it is what cold immigrants and refugees across oceans and the rio grande. It is what pushed women to reach. It is what and powered workers to organize. Liveswhy gis gave their on omaha beach and iwo jima. Iraq, and afghanistan. And why men and women him selma to stonewall were prepared to give theirs as well. Amy during president obamas thech tuesday night, he, first United States black president , also spoke about racism. Pres. Obama after my election, there was talk of a Postracial America and such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic. Potent and oftenn divisive force in our society. Amy we will have more on president obamas there will reach later in the broadcast with reverend william barber. As well as congressman Luis Gutierrez. In South Carolina, white supremacist and convicted murdrderer dylanann roof has received the d death penenalty r murdering nine black worshipers, including pastor clementa pinckney, at the h historic Emanuel Ame Church in june of 2015. During the trial, prosecutors quoted excerpts of a racist manifesto o written by roof whie he was helelin a charlestoton jail. Roof wrote i would like to make it Crystal Clear i do not regret what i did. I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people i killed. On monday, after about three hours of deliberations, the jury returned with the unanimous decision that roof should be put to death. Reverend sharon risher, the daughter of one of roofs victims, ethel lee lance, said i dont believe in the Death Penalty, but im my mothers child and with everything thats happened sometimes i want him to die. Its like, you know what, this fool continues to just be evil. Well have morere on dylann roos death sentence later in the broadcast with reverend barber. More allegations of Sexual Harassment has surfaced at fox news, this time against the networks top anchor bill oreilly. The New York Times has rereported that in the weeks afr fox chair roger ailes was ousted over allegations of Sexual Harassment by more than 20 women, fox news paid juliet huddy a six figure sum to stay quiet about allegations bill oreilly repeatedly sexually harassed her. A letter by huddys lawyers says oreilly called her all the time and sometimes sounding as if he were masturbating. The letter also accuses oreilly of trying to kiss ruddy, and once opening the door to his hotel room where hed asked her to return a key in his boxer shorts. The letter sayays that when rudy rejected oreillys advances, he retaliated against her both on air and at the office. Fox news and bill oreilly have rejected the allegations. In afghanistan, at least 30 people have been killed in two bombings near the parliament buililding in kabul. Another 70 people were wounded in the two explosions. The taliban has claimed responsibility for both attacks. In yemen, a u. S. Backed saudiled airstrike has killed five people near an Elementary School in northern yemen. At least two children were killed in the bombing. Despite concerns about being implicated in possible war crimes, the United States has continued to sell warplanes and munitions to the Saudiled Coalition throughout its bombing of y yemen andnd u. S. Made munis have been found at the scene of saudiled bobombings where civilians have been killed. And rita lasar, cofounder of the september 11 families for peaceful tomorrows, has died at the age of 85. Her brother Abe Zelmanowitz died on the 27th floor of the World Trade Center during the 9 11 attacks after he refused to leave until emergency workers came to help rescue his best friend, ed, a paraplegic. Lasar went on to become a peace activist who traveled to afghanistan to meet with the families of those killed in the u. S. War there. This is a clip of a remarkable conversation on democracy now in 2002 between rita lasar and masuda sultan, an afghan woman living in new york at the time of the 9 11 attacks, who soon learned that 19 members of her family had been killed by the u. S. Attacks on afghanistan. This is rita lasar. Himresident bush mentioned in the National Cathedral speech and cited him as being a hero. And i realized that i government was going to use my brother is justification for killing other people. And that had a tremendous impact on me. I did not want that to happen. Not in my brothers name. So i wrote a letter to the times which they printed him asking our government, please be cautious and do not do something they could not take act. Asked to speak at a peace rally and i did it. Just before i went on, i was told they had started bombing afghanistan. And i realized something i have never realized before. I had heard the term Collateral Damage all my life. It was always used about people far away from us. And i realized now what it meant because my brother was Collateral Damage in a war he mazudas people do not want. On democracy lasar now she died of cancer at her 2002. East Village Apartment on sunday. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. On tuesday, president elect Donald Trumps nominee for u. S. Attorney general, republican senator Jeff Sessions of alabama faced more than nine hours of , testimony before the Senate Judiciary committee, during which he denied being a racist and tried to distance e himself from trumps most extreme promises. The hearing was repeatedly disrupted by protesters who chanted no trump, no kkk, no fascist usa. This is republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioning sessions. You as a try to label racist or a biggest or whatever you want to say, how does that make you feel . And this is your chance to Say Something to those people. Good. L, it does not feel [indiscernible] cox no trump, no kkk, no fascist usa. No trump, no kkk, no fascist usa. Juan during his two decades on capitol hill, senator sessions has opposed legislation that provides a path to citizenship for immigrants, questioned if the constitution guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the United States, criticized the courts for interpreting the separation of church and state too broadly, and has declared samesex marriage a threat to american culture. He also voted against reauthorizing the violence against women act, opposed the Voting Rights act, and has a history of making racist comments which included reportedly saying he thought the ku klux klan was ok until i found out they smoked pot. On tuesday, sessions described allegations of bigotry that have dogged his career as damnably false charges. And what it thelan represents and its hateful ideology. The Southern Poverty Law Center of his lawsuit that led to the thekolanl c collapse of , at least in alabama, the seizure of their building, at least for that time. A Civil Rights Division attorneys hahave testified befoe the committee, ive supported fully their his doric cases that the Justice Department filed to advance civil rights and that i supported, including cases too desegregate schools, abolish ,tlarge elections for cities county commissions, and school boards. These atlarge collections were mechanisms used to block africanamerican candidates from being able to be elected to boards and commissions. It was a deliberate and part of a systemic plan to reduce the ability of afrfrican americans o have influence in the election and governing process. I never declared the naacp was unamerican or that a civil rights attorney was a disgrace to his race. There is nothing i am more proud servicemy 14 years of in the department of justice. Amy Jeff Sessions was the first sitting senator to endorse trump for the presidency in early 2016. During tuesdays hearing, he was asked about the legal boundaries of the trump administration. He said he would reject a ban on muslim immigration and that he would enforce a 2015 law that outlawed waterboarding terrorism suspects, even though he had previously opposed the law. He was questioned by senator sheldon whitehouse. As a question of law, does waterboarding constitute torture . Well, there was a dispute about that when we had the tortured definition in our law. The department of justice memorandum included it did not necessarily prohibit that, but congress has taken an action now that makes it absolutely improper and illegal to use waterboarding or any other form of tortuture in the unitited sts by our military and by all of our other departments and agencies. Amy senator sessions also declared that he would recuse himself from any decisions on Hillary Clintons emails or the clinton foundation. During tuesdays hearing, sessions appearered to have support from moderate republican senators like Susan Collins of maine and democrats like joe manchin iii of west virginia. Today the senate is expected to hear from those who support and oppose his confirmation, including officials with the naacp and aclu two groups sessions reportedly once called unamerican. Also set to testify are civil rights icon and democratic congressman johnhn lewis, and new jersey senator cory booker, marking the first time in Senate History a sitting senator will testify agagainst anotother sitg senator for a cabinet post during a confirmation hearing. When we come back from break, we will be joined by chicago congressman luis houserez a member of the Judiciary Committee, cochair of the Immigration Task force of the congressional hispanic caucus. And from raleigh, North Carolina, reverend dr. William barber president of the north , carolina naacp. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan for more than a confirmation hearings for president elect trump with Jeff Sessions, were joined by two guests. From the cannon rotunda on capitol hill, we are joined by congressman Luis Gutierrez, democratic of illinois, a member of the Judiciary Committee and the cochair of the Immigration Task force of the congressional hispanic caucus. He just released a statement saying, why i will not be at inauguratition and will be marching with women. Also with us is reverend dr. William barber, president of the North Carolina naacp and moral mondays leader. On monday, he led about 500 demonstrators to the Russell Senate office building, where they marched through the marble hallways and delivered an antisessions petition to the offices of Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell and others. Reverend barber is the author of third reconstruction moral mondays, fusion politics, and the rise of a new justice movement. Welcome both of you to democracy now both of you back to the show. Reverend barber, i would like to ask you about the protest you and against Jeff Sessions your response now that you have heard some of his testimony yesterday at the senate. First of all, thank you so much for having us. Repairs of the breach along with faith in public life with my good friend and 500 clergy and infected persons we let a moral march 2 Mitch Mcconnells office, asking him and the other thetors to reject nomination of sessions. This is the first time we understand that clergy have e de this at this period. Crisiseve it is a moral in their so much camouflaging that we have to get underneath so that we can get to the truth. First of all, when we talk about Jeff Sessions, they say, well, hes a methodist all stop so was george wallace. They say, he is cordial. Southern cordiality and racial animosity are two Different Things altogether. They say he has been respectful. Well, you can be respectful jesse helms had certain level of respect, but he was very racist in his policies. What we look at now is where sessions has stood on the issues will stop let me point out what i mean by that. First of all, he has shown a contempt for the 15th amendment of the constitution which said the right of the citizens of United States to vote shalall nt be denieied or abridged. In section two says congress has the ability to enforce this article. , senator sessions has been a part of the group ththat has kept the congress frm enforcing the 15th amendment. He has a contempt for the 15th amendment. He has called the voting righths act and intrusive piece of legislation. That is the legislation of people died for. He says it is intrusive will stop an other words, it is a bother. He has to against Voting Rights. He has applauded the shelby decision, which gutted the Voting Rights act and has done nothing in the congresss to fix it. Even on yesterday, he said he did not know anything about the biggest Voter Suppression case in the country right now. Mccoury. Versus or the courts in North Carolina engaged in intentional racial discrimination, things they could not have done is section 5 of thehe Voting Rights act was enforced. So heres the question for america if sessions has a contempt for the 15th amendment as a senator, if he has tried to undermine the 15th amendment as a senator, then why would you want him to be the attorney general who is requirered to enforce the 15th amendment . That is the kind of racism that we are talking about. Racism in america is not just about a weiser premise a white supremacist burning crosses. It is perpetrated through systems of power that consistently privileged white people one discrimiminating against people of cololor and other r americans. When you look k at hisisecord on for the h has a contempt 15th of mimic for the protection of Voting Rights and applauded false claims about voter fraud in real realities of Voter Suppression that is greater than things we have seen since the days of jim crow. Juan representative Luis Gutierrez of chicago, todaday we arare going to see one of your colleagues in the house, john lewis, as well as senator cory booker, making a historic firstever testimony by senator against one of his colleagues on a president ial nomination. Your concerns about Jeff Sessions and your reaction to his testimony yesterday . Well, ive a great concern beginning with his xenophobic, antiimmigrant rhetoric and positions with the most extreme sectors, not only in the senate, but across this country. I am worried about 750,000 young men and women who have achieved legality in this country through president obamas executive easilywhich he can threaten them. He can revoke that as the attorney general. Which is exactly his attitude. He doesnt believe in immigration. He will say, well, i just want to take care of the illegal immigrants. He doesnt believe in immigration period. So as a man born in 1953 when separate but equal was the law when i was born, i see in Jeff Sessions, a man who once black people to be quiet, immigrants to be silent invisible, women back in the kitchen and gays in the closet. There is a particular statement of the senator and a position to back up. So invest if that is the america you want to make great again, the Jeff Sessions is your guy. I and very concerned about the progress that we have made, especially as the reverend has talked about the Voting Rights act. Look, uan, you and i would not be having this conversation. I would not have been elected to the congress of the United States had it not been for the brave men and women in america leading the Civil Rights Movement that gave us a Civil Rights Act a Voting Rights act which finally led me to be in congress. I am going to raise my voice because that is the tradition that i feel a responsibility to and a debt to. Latitinos get to speak today because black people were murdered and lynched and their churches were burned and others became allies of theirs in a great Civil Rights Movement. We cannot simply turn our backs on that history, that great history of our nation. To the letter go that was just released of karate scott king. On tuesday, the Washington Post published a nine page letter written by king in 1986, opposing Jeff Sessions nomination to a federal judgeship. This is a very this is very significant. Sessions and ie think over the past 50 years from that point, one other person had not been approved by the Senate Judiciary committee for a judgeship. According to buzzfeed news, which first reported the letters existence, it was s ner entered in congressional record i then Judiciary Committee chair Strom Thurmond. Kings opposition, howeverer, prproved criritical toto the art againsnst sessions confirmatioi. In the letter she cites sessions attentive prosecution of three black civil rights workers in marion alabama for voter fraud. Carruthers got king writes becomehe circumstances analyze commit was clear was political carruthers all frightened, the whites held chill of the exercise of the ballot for blacks who suffered so much to receive that right in the first place. She writes the irony of mr. Sessions nomination is that, if confirmed, he will be given a life tenure for doing with a federal prosecution what the local sheriffs accomplished 20 years ago with clubs and cattle prods. I believe his confirmation would have a devastating effect on not only the judicial system in alabama, but also on the progress we have made toward fulfilling my husbands dream. Again, that letter that Strom Thurmond did not enter into the congressional record but that carruthers got king wrote opposing sessions judgeship nomination in 1986. Im sure you know the case, reverend barber, of the marion three very well, close allies of dr. King, the turners, gone after by u. S. Attorney at the time, Jeff Sessions in alabama. Ultimately, they were acquitted. I do. There are several things that were so striking and hypocritical at that hearing yesterday. You know, when senator sessions klan, thoseounced the are common phrases to say, i did this, he said he did not call the naacp unamerican, basically, saying i did these things, you heard it, but you did not hear what you heard or seen what you saw. In a sense he is calling criticized the a liar. Carruthers got king a liar. He is even calling ms. Turner a liar. She is still a liar. She said, the leopard has not changed his spot. Jailhe tried to put her in for 250 years. That is the same time that black people were enslaved in this country. Was all over a fraudulent case. He claims to have worked on cases, but theres a Washington Post article that says he did not work on those cases. What we have is s someone who hs a clclear record, a record in te past, never repented of it. He may suggest they were not his ideas, but he has never repented of it and become an advocate for Voting Rights in a stock supporter of the 15th amendment. If anything, he has harardened over the years and become more shrewd over the years. I keep saying this constantly to people, amy, this congress for 1296 days today has r refused to do its job. In essence coming up with dr. King called notification. Nullification post up it should be disqualified for someone who is being asked to lead the us attorney generals office. There is something else. Senator sessions has stood a stood against legislation that vulnerable people. R wil he is even voted against the againstact or violence womens act. And he voted against a program that would help minorities, African Americans, and women, have access to federal contracts. Which means he is not only he not only has a contempt for the 50 the moment, but for the 14th the mammoth, im sorry, title vi of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which has you cannot discriminate any programs that receive any federal money. He is a contempt for the 15th amendment, has shown contempt for the 14th a minute which says equal protection under the law should be provided to all people regardless of the race, color, or creed, sexuality. He is shown a contempt for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 title vi. So someone who is shown a contempt for these things cannot be put in office to be the Law Enforcement officer over these things. You just like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. Juan i would like to put it in a little bit of a personal perspective. So the america that my daughters live in is a different america than the one that their mom and their grandmother he wants to take roe versus wade and eliminate it. We take the to tell of the of the man, lets remember when they say they want to make America Great again, they want to go back to a time in which women and gays and latinos were simply quiet and shut out of the process. And as the reverend has so articulately presented, it is very clear let me say this so that we are clear. When donald trump called for a ban in the registry on muslims, he was the first one to stand up, the first senator in the first member of the Republican Party to stand up, support, and applied in endorse donald trump for president of the United States. So he can say what he wants today, but i think we should judge him on his actions of yesterday. Juan congressman gutierrez, i would ask about another issue that c came up in the hearingsgs which h is the issue of consent decrees that the justice departmement has reached with a variety of cities that are dealing with constitutional violations by their Police Departments. During Jeff Sessions hearing, john cornyn of texas questioned sessioions about the role of Law Enforcement in communities. We need to be sure that when we criticize law officers of it is nearly focused on the right basis for criticism and to smear hold apartments, laces those options a greater risk, and we are seeing an increase in murder ofof police officers, of 10 lat year. Feel ld say, i could i could feel in my bones that i was going how it was going to play out when i t thought t there were perhaps wrongdoing by an officer, but s spilling over toa condemnation of our entire police force. Amer row has been affecteded. And it has immpacted the crime rates in baltimore and chicago. I dont think theres any y dout about it. I reregret that is happenning. I think you can be restored, but we need to understand the requirement that police work with the communinity and be respectful of their community, but we as a nation need to respect our law officers, too. Juan that was senator Jeff Sessions. He was told there were about 20 cities right now that have dissent decrees as a result as a result of widespread abuses by Police Departments. Ofr concern about this issue police abuse and the consent decrees that sessions indicated he would be revisiting whether some of them should be ended . Look, i am from chicago. Everybody has seen the tape of a young black 17yearold man, shot man, laquan mcdonald, 16 times. Because our Community Domain of the intervention of the federal governrnment so that people are not abused, so that people are not murder look, the fact is, that happened. And six other Chicago Police officers said and filled out forms saying the officers life was under threat. That man is being charged, that officer is being charged for murder in cook county. Chicago voters took action against the attorney general. Chicago voters took action against the superintendent of police. Chicago voters are going to continue to take action, not only chicago, but across this country, to protect the life. Know, even a rotary go there under a disintegrate because the police are there even important we go, theyre under dispute because the police are there will stop the police job is to serve and protect the public. And where they do not do that, it is incumbent upon the federal government to intervene when local governments will not. So i think it is an important matter and one that we should be very, veve fearful o of. Juan, thatt tool, the police have in protecting you and me and the american citizen, their greatest tool is the trust and confidence of the amamerican people. E. It is not thehe badge. It is of the gun. It is of the sophisticated it isnt the sophisticated and car and he couldnt they have. It is the reliability of the support of the people and the only way youre going to get that is when there is trust and confidence and respect between the people and the Chicago Police and Police Departments across this nation. Amy reverend barber, you are wanting g to jump in there. I think it is importatant for unpack how sessions is trying to talk about racism in a , to be quite honest, is dangerous in a democracy. Let me step back for a second will stop in the case against mr. And her husband. One of the thingngive s shared with president brooks, and i hope youll do today, when you testify, have her there or have somebody from her family there. Put a face on this extremism. Pololiceg about brutality and criminal justice reform. Have some of those mothers there that have lost their sons. Then in that context say to him, this is not just about individual rural cops. Systemico dismiss racism as systemic problems that has been proven whenever the Justice Department has gone in and done a clear analysis of Police Departments like in ferguson, for instance. They found a systemic problem. But what sessions is trying to do and what oftentimes folk like committed to do, because i do not want to do with systemic racism comee is to suggest this as an individual, not a systems problem. On other matters, it is a systems problem. When it comes s to health care, they say we have a bad system. Obamacare is a bad system or our taxes are a bad system. When it comes to racism they say, oh, it is just one bad apple. Is, when we have unarmed africanamerican men and the women, boys, and girls unarmed ink shot over and over again and killed over and over again, when we have more people i in our prison system today, africanamericans, then enslaved in slavery by some estimates, we represesent over 1 12 of the population of more than 50 of the incarceration, when it is proven that africanamericans do less drugs,s, for instance, than oths but incarcerated at rates higher one of my friends said, this is a new jim crow. Ms. Alexandeder says this is a w jim crow. It is a systems problem and he does not want to deal with the system because if you deal with the system of racism and incarceration, you have to deal with the system of racism in Voting Rights and the system of racism in the investment in communitys that are black, brown, and poor, and even whihie poor communities. He does not want to deal with the system. But he was attorney general, that is the attorney generals job to examine systems and how those systems and individuals run in the systems comply with the laws of the land. Amy i want to turn to the issue of women and assault for a minute before we go to break. And then we will get to president obamas farewell addrdress in chicago. Last october after the relelease elect fromsident said he could grab women. The time, senator sessions responded at tuesdays hearing for senator sessions to be u. S. Attorney general, vermont senator Patrick Leahy askeded sessions the same question again. Is grabbing a woman by her genitals without consent, is that Sexual Assault . Clearly, it would be. Amy congressman Luis Gutierrez, your response in this change of heart of senator sessions . I i wish it was a change of heart. Reasonse of the primary that i will not go to this inauguration i want to be clear. I went to george bushs inauguration. I have been here for 25 years. This is my 25th here in congress so ive been to quite a few, republican and democrat inaugurations. That statement. My mind does not work so that i can eliminate those expressions of the president elect donald trump. And what did he say . They tried to normalize it during the campaign by saying that it was simply the talk of people in a gym. Right . Well, it is not. If anyone were to say that in a locker room and i have been to a locker room here in congress, right here in the rayburn building, thousands of days i spent in that locker room over the last 24 years, and i will tell you ive never heard such an expression. If i did, it would not go unchallenged by me. And i dont believe it is normal. It is abnormal for me to hear those kinds of expressions. And for me to have to stand by and normalize those kinds of expressions at inauguration is something that i cannot do. I cannot look at my wife and my daughters and my grandson in the face if i were to stand at that inauguration. So instead, amy, i think we should take a positive action and so i am coming on inauguration day, not to the inauguration, but to get ready to see what kind of clothing am going to need, what kind of preparations im going to need so that my wife and i hand in hand with what i believe will be one million other women, come together. We need to come together because when women are attacked, we all are attacked. When women win, we all win. Black women and asian women, latina women, women from every ethnicity every marching together. Maybe immigration is my primary goal and objective Immigration Reform but i know when i stand with women and women stand with immigrants and gays, stand with those who want to increase the minimum wage, when we protect the mother earth against those who want to deny the science around our earth, when we all march together and that is what the opportunity for me is, to rebuke and reject those kinds of statements made on behalf of the president elect. I just cant unhear it. We know Jeff Sessions said then. He said that was just locker room banter. And then wasnt much to be said. Now, of course, he was to be attorney general, so he is going to change his tune. It doesnt really change how he thinks. Tell me his first reaction. Tell me his visible reaction. This rural. That is how he really feels. I do not believe he has changed one iota. Amy please they with us. We will come back and get your response to president obamas farewell address and also the Death Penalty sentence of dillon roof. Democracy now will be covering the inauguration from 8 00 in the morning on inauguration morning january 20 until 3 00 in the afternoon. Both the inauguration and the protest, and we will be there on saturday. What Luis Gutierrez is talking about right now, the million women march. We will be broadcasting from 10 00 in the morning until 3 00 in the afternoon from right there in washington, d. C. Outside where the march will take lace. This is democracy nonow back in a moment. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. About what happened on tuesday night. President obamas farewell address. Juan he gave it chicagos Mccormick Place Convention Center. One of the issues he addressed was Voting Rights. Pres. Obama which brings me to my final comment. Our democracy our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted. All of us, regardless of party, should be throwing ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions. [applause] pres. Obama when voting rates in america are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, we should be making it easier, not harder, to vote. [applause] pres. Obama when trust in our , we shoulds is low reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public service. Dysfunctional,s we should draw our districts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes. Juan that was president obama in his Farewell Speech last night. I want to ask congressman gutierrez, a coupuple of things come at the end of his speech, he referred back to the theme of his original race yes, we can. He ended up saying yes, we did. Im wondering have your reflections on yes, we did meant to you . What was accomplished . What wasnt occultist . Daca deco today were getting in front of the white house at noon. Im so they can to desmond tutu, jimmy carter, the mayor of san juan and new york, so many religious leaders, archbishops and cardinals and religious leaders demanding the release of oscar robles oscar lopez fitzgerald. We are petitioning the president. Im hopeful heres what i think. I think in the end, he began with the huge crisis. That really tied his hands. In any given month when he was first elected, one million jobs disappeared. So we had that emerging crisis can economic crisis. Look, health care is important. It is a basic fundamental human right. It is not a political right. It is a human right. It should not be that the political whims of this country. There are 20 more Million People covered by health care. Ofnically, large numbers little white americans that had no access to health there were the primary beneficiaries of obamacare. So im excited. Done more . Ve could we have reformed our immigration system . Absolutely. We challenge this president. In the end coming responded to the challenge by taking the kinds of executive action that thousands of dreamers to go to the Supreme Court had subsequent executive orders that were challenged by the Republican Party. When i look at immigration, i see a president that started one place and ended in a very good place when it came to our immigration policy. Im going to say, president barack obama, we had a lot of fighting with you. We had a lot of challenging. It in the end, you turned around. You spoke to us. You listened and you acted. Havei have wanted it to been done earlier . Absolutely. But i think between fixing our economy, getting us back on the right track, health care lets remember, and donald trouble say, i saved 500 jobs here or 1000 jobs there. What about the millions of jobs that were maintained in america with gm and chrysler when we intervened . That is barack obama. That is the dodd frank and making sure that we did not put the future of Peoples Pensions at risk, the future of our economy at risk because of the greed on wall street. I think there are many wonderful things. Look, in the end, in the end i have a grandson that is 13 years old. He got to see the president of the United States, so does he said, to president obama, he said, thank you, mr. President , because now my cousin and my aunts and uncles can stay when he issued those broader executive authority. I am happy to see a young latino to aeing able to speak grown black man that is president of the United States. Amy congressman gutierrez, how many times were you arrested protesting during the Obama Administration . Twice. So i want to clarify, the, see his Oscar Lopez Rivera has been in jail for 35 years, much of the time in solitary confinement. His sentence was commuted by president clinton. He refused to leave because others were staying in prison. Those people have left and you are asking for the pardon for him. When i got to congress in 1993, i began petitioning president clinton. Clinton is different than obama. Clinton would sit down and talk to you as a member of congress when you went to petition him for pardons. He would talk about the political situation. Unfortunately, obama isnt quite open in talking but these issues. But today we will stand and im so happy that you put oscar itezs case yes, so president clinton did in 1999, he said, im releasing 12 of them. He offered a release to oscar lopez, but there was a 13th and oscar lopez said, until all of us are released, i cannot accept the release. He remains in jobless of amy i want to end with reverend barber responding to the farewell address of presidedent obama. So much, thank you. I do believe senator sessions Still Believes in assaulting women because he refused to stand by Loretta Lynch and blocked both of the women, try to block both of the women that president obama wanted to appoint to the Supreme Court, including a latina. That is a form of political assault. I take a tradition of Martin Luther king and others, the goal of the f fate of more leaders is to challenge and push our leaders. Triedident obama lalast night to Say Somethings to america that were not about left and right and conservative versus liberal. Number one, we have to do with race and class together. You cannot separate the two. Amy we have 10 seconds and will continue after. You cannot separate them. When you have 64 Million People making less than a living wage and 54 percent of African Americans making less than a living wage, that is not a race and class issue, it is both. We have to have the courage. Amy we will continue this on a web exclusive. Reverend williamcnwwnyw 0p reyes a pesticide sprayed on plantations in nicaragua for decades continues to cause controversy and alleged illness. Did it poison people . Im elaine reyes in washington, dc, and this is americas now. First up, northern nicaragua was once abundanant th agricululturl wealth, but t locals say thahat changed when a pesticide was sprayed on fields and adversely affected workers health. Solis [speakiking spanish] interpreter lk at this. S. Every banana plantatatation worr has it. I have it. T. My partner r has i. Lookok at our r skin. It is s s. This is whathe poison didid to us