Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20240713 : vimarsana.co

Civilians are displaceded by fighting in northehern syria, President Trump defends his decision to withdraw u. S. Support for the kurds, paving the way for turkeys assault. This comes as the house passes a bipartisan bill to rebuke the president. Today, Vice President mike pence and secretary of state mike pompeo are in turkey seeking a ceasefire. We will get the latest from Congressmember Ro Khanna and also speak with him about the legacy of baltimore Congressmember Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee. He died earlier today. Whererst, to chicago, 25,000 teachers and thousands more aides, custodians, and security guards, have gone on strike. Is to takerategy back everything that we have already won in previous contracts and offer it back to us with percentages. Not what we have already, not what o our students deserve or what we are demanding, but the same thing or less. That is the problem here. Amy all that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In Northern Syria, as many as 300,000 civilians have been forced to flee as turkrkeys assault on kurdishcontrolled areas continues. Vice presidedent mike pence and secretary of state mike pompeo have arrived in turkey, where they are expected to meet with president erdogan today. They are said to be pushing for a ceasefire, which erdogan has so far rejected. Turkey invaded Northern Syria after President Trump spoke with erergan on thtelephone tober 6,nd the u. S abruptly y drew a smalall numumber of u. S. Troom the regegn. On thursday, the house of representatives voted overwhelming to condn n trumpss acactions in syryria, in what te new york timimes describebed as thehe most signifificant biparn repudidiation of mr. R. Trump sie he took office. Shortly after the vote, trump met with House Speaker nancy pelosi and other congressional leaders and had what pelosi called a a meltdownwn. That putting two to one of the republicans voted to oppose what the president did probably got to the president because he was shaken up by it. And that is why we could not continue in the meeting because he was just not relating to the reality of it. Oft we witnessed on the part ththe president wawas a meltdow. Sad to say. Amy trump later said pelosi was the one who had the meltdown. During the meeting, trump also distributed a copy of a letter he sent to turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on october 9, the day of turkeys invasion. In the letter, trump wrote lets work out a deal you dont want to be responsible for slaughtering thousands of people, and i dont wawant toe destroying the turkishsh economy and i will. Trump ended the letter writing dont be a tough guy. Dont be a fool ill call yoyou later. The bbc reports erdogan received the letter and threw it in the trash. Since the u. S. Withdrawal, the kurds have aligned themselves with the Syrian Government. A number of former isis fighters who were being held by the kurus have escscaped. Well havave more on the tuturkh offefensive later r in the broadcdcast. In washington, d. C. , one of the socalled three amigos is slated to testify to House Committee lawmakers today as part of thehe ongoing impeachment inquiry. Gordon sondland is the u. S. Ambassador to the European Union and a wealthy hotel magnate. He received his ambassadorship after donating 1 million to trumps inauguraration. His lack of diplomatic experience led one white house Foreign Policy advisor to complain he was a National Security risk. Sondland is expected to testify about now released Text Messages between him and bill taylor, the top u. S. Diplomat to ukraine. In one of the messengers, taylor texted sondlanand, are we now saying secured assistance in white house meeting our condition on investigations . Sondland texted back from call me. He was referring to trumps call for the investigations of his rival joe biden and his son hunter. Britain anand the European Union say theyve reached a new brexit deal ahead of the october 31 deadline for britain to leave the European Union. The deal will still need to be ratified by both british lawmakers and european leaders. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he plans to put his deal to a vote in the house of commons on saturday. Some british political groups, such as the Democratic Unionist Party in northern ireland, say they will not support the agreement. Meanwhile, many residents across the United Kingdom continue to oppose brexit. This is johnny kelly in northern ireland. We are all border residents. We all have great concerns about the impact of brexit. We considered to be undemocratic in the senense the people of t e nonorth of ireland did not vote for brexit in the first place. All of the analysis outt there would demonstrate very clearly that any brexit will have a detrimental effect on the people and the economy of this island. Amy in spain, massive street protests are continuing in the catalonia region after nine spanish separatist leaders were sentenced to prison on monday for their role in catalonias bid for independence in 2017. On wednesday night, protesters set up barricades and faced off against police for hours during the regions thirdstraight night of p protests. The Trump Administration has proposed opening up millions of acres of alaskas Tongass National forest to logging a move environmental activists say threatens the largest intact temperate rainforest in north america. On tuesday, trump told federal officials to reverse longstanding protections against tree cutting in the area. Critics say logging would threaten not only the ecosystem, but also the forests profitable salmon fishery and tourism industries. Up to a half a million children could lose access to Free School Lunches under the Trump Administrations proposed changes to the food stamp program. Thats according to a newly released analysis by the u. S. Department of agriculture. Critics of trumps proposal say the new Analysis Shows the plan is even worse than we had feared. In chicago, 25,000 teachers are walking out of Chicago Public schools today to demand better pay and benefits, smaller class sizes, and more nurses, counselors, social workers and librarians. The historic strike has brought the countrys thirdlargest School System grinding to a halt, with classes canceled for more than 350,000 students as thousands of striking workers and their allies take to picket lines throughout the city. The teachers have long demanded more support staff in schools, and are demanding the city put this pledge in writing. Recent polls ahead of todays strike show chicago residents support the teachers. After headlines, well go to chicago for more on the teachers strike. We will speak with an official from the Chicago Teachers Union as well as from the seiu, the service in Place International union. In more labor news, tens of thousands of General Motors workers are celebrating after the United Auto Workers and the auto manufacturing giant reached a tentative contract deal that could end the longest strike at gm in a half century. The agreement would include wage increases, improvements to the Health Insurance plan, and a path to fulltime work for temporary workers. The announcement came after President Trump called the uaw president on wednesday night. The workers will remain on strike for at least a few more days as the union decides whether to approve the agreement. The new york city coununcil is slated to vote on an 8billion plan to close Rikers Island by 2026 and build four new jails across new york city in what many are calling a National Model for prison reform. For decades, human rights activists s have protested the viviolence, ababuse, and mismanagement inside Rikers Island and have called for its closure. Yet many activists now oppose the plan to replace rikers with four new jaiails, arguing that t would be better to invest the plans billllions of f dollars o communities and criminal jususte reforms aimed at reducing the number of people incarcerated, such as bail vouchers. The group no new jails nyc is staging a protest at 10 00 this morning outside city hall to demand City Council Members reject the landuse proposal that will clear the way for the new jails construction. And Maryland Democratic Congressmember Elijah Cummings has died at the age of 68. The longtime African American politician has for decades championed progressive causes and the rights of African Americans and the poor. He has also been a fierce critic of President Trump, who once called cummings majorityblack district a rodentinfested mess. Cummings was born in 1951 as the son of a sharecropper. In elementary school, he was told he was too slow and that he spoke poorly. He rose to become one of the most powerful orators in the Maryland State House and the first black House Speaker pro tem, and then the chair of the congressional black caucus. Compass member cummings also served as the chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee stop in 2016, democracy now spoke to Congress Member Elijah Cummings from the floor of the Democratic National convention in philadelphia. I asked him about the mothers of the movement the mothers of trayvon martin, michael brown, eric garner, and other African Americans killed by police who had just taken the stage at the dnc. Keep in mind, i have a nephew who sadly died five years ago being robbed. I went to visit his room the next day and his brain was splattered on the wall. He was 20 years old, student at old dominion university, and he is dead. At 20. I could really relate to those women because when a child dies for what, you mourn could have been. But i think the reason why that was so important and powerful is so that people ununderstand just trying to get understandause and the pain, or try to understand it. Those women were very bold. What they did was they took their pain, turned it in to a pain, passion, purpose. I admire them because they have taken that pain and how theyre trying to help other mothers not have to go through what they have gone through. Amy have you ever been stopped by the police over the years . Many years. Keep in mind, when i was younger i got stopped a lot more. I will never forget one time i was fortunate enough to get an acura automobile. I was being stopped almost every week. I was about 32. I was being stopped every week. Amy that was maryland Congressmember Elijah Cummings. He died early thursday morning at Johns Hopkins hospital in baltimore at the age of 68. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Nermeen and im nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. 25,000 teachers and thousands more aides, custodians, and security guards are walking out of Chicago Public schools today to demand better pay and benefits, smaller class sizes, and more nurses, counselors, social workers, and librarians. The historic strike has brought the countrys thirdlargest School System to a standstill, with classes canceled for more than 350,000 students as striking workers and their allies take to picket lines throughout the city. The strike was confirmed wednesday when the Chicago Teachers Union rejected a final offer by the citys new mayor Lori Lightfoot following months of labor negotiations. The city offered pay raises of 16 over a fiveyear period, while Union Representatives have been calling for a 15 increase over three years. The teachers have long demanded more support staff in schools, and are demanding the city put this pledge in writing. On wednesday, Chicago Teacher unions stacy davis gates and chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot sparred as lightfoot defended the districts effort to negotiate with the union. At every turn, we have bent over backwards to meet the unions needs. Despite all this, the Chicago Teachers Union intends to forge ahead with a strike. To say you bent over backwards and it is the same proposal, not even, less than what is in there now, is absolutely ridiculous. Amy some 7500 Public School workers with the Service Employees International Union are also striking today after rejecting their own offer from the city. More than 2000 chicago Park District workers with seiu local 73, who are also expected to strike today, struck a tentative agreement with the city on wednesday. They will join the picket lines before work in solidarity. The walkout marks the first Chicago Public School Strike in seven years. In 2012, teachers went on strike under former mayor rahm emanuel. Todays walkout is expected to be one of the first big tests for Lori Lightfoot, who took office as mayor in maine. Well, for more, we go to chicago where were joined by two guests. Stacy davis gates is executive Vice President of the Chicago Teacher union and science meles is executive Vice President of seiu local 73. We welcome both of you to democracy now stacy davis gates, why are you going out on strike today . Thank you for having us. Were on strike today because we dont see another way to actually get social worker, a nurse, smaller class sizes into our School Communities. We are in one of the richest cities in one of the richest countries in the entire world, and we have prioritized building playgrounds for the wealthy in lincoln park instead of putting a nurse in schools on the south and west side of the city. We are hoping to transform the way in which we value the very people who do the work in the School Communities and those who desperately need the services in the School Communities. , can youscience meles explain what is happening today and who all is involved . The seiu local 73 our Standing Shoulder to shoulder with the Teachers Union in the fight for fair contract. There are actions happening all over the city. Pickets happening at every school in chicago. Workers are demanding a fair contract and the mayor of the people be the mayor of the people rather than mayor of corporate america. Amy i want to go to a clip of mayor lightfoot speaking at a News Conference on wednesday. We are going to see if f we have that clip. Here we have it. We have tried to provide the best deal that is fiscally responsible, that is fair to teachers, and fair to taxpayers. Without questionon, the deal w e put on the table is the best in the Chicago Teachers Unions history. It provides a 16 pay raise for all employees, beyond compensation, we have offered more than 80 proposed changes to the contract on issues requested by the union, including Sanctuary School protections, a against privatization, support for oversized classes, changes to how we serve our special education students, and so much more. Folks, im the daughter of a union steelworker. I am a strong believer in the power of collective bargaining. Yes, when it comes down to it, the right to strike. But today, we are making concerted progress. It is clear that this is not one of those moments. Amy that is mayor Lori Lightfoot. Stacy davis gates, can you respond . We have a city that spent 5 million on dog parks. 5 million on dog parks. What we a