The british Prisoner Group cage , who knew mohammed. Surprised to know the man i knew was extremely kind, extremely gentle extremely softspoken was the most humble young person that i knew. Amy and then to atticas ghost. We look at the savage conditions inside the new york jail today where three guards nearly beat a prisoner to death in 2011. Just before the trial was to begin this week, the guards pled guilty to misdemeanor they will not serve jail time. You will speak with reporter tom robbins and former attica prisoner Antonio Yarbough, who served 20 years for triple murder but was exonerated last year and released. First, to obamacare. The Supreme Court has heard arguments in a case to determine if millions of people can keep receiving tax subsidies to help pay for private Health Insurance. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Justice Department is calling for a Major Overhaul of fergusons criminal Justice System after finding systemic discrimination against africanamerican residents. A comprehensive report says police disproportionately stopped, arrested and used force against blacks without reasonable suspicion, and then acted as a Collection Agency to operate off of their fines. Unveiling the probes findings outgoing attorney general eric holder described how residents were targeted for arrest and then saddled with penalties. Some officers even compete to see who can issue the largest number of citations during a single stop. A total that at least one instance, rose as high as 14. We have observed even minor Code Violations can sometimes result in multiple arrests, jail time, and payments that exceed the cost of the original ticket many times over. Now, for example in 2007, 1 woman received two working tickets that together totaled 152. To date, she is paid 550 in fines and fees to the city of ferguson. She has been arrested twice for having unpaid tickets, and she is spent six days in jail. Yet today, she is still inexplicably owing ferguson 541. Amy the report details many other examples of police harassment, abuse, and racial profiling of africanamericans. Dogs were let loose, only on blacks and sometimes without warning. One man was accused of being a pedophile for sitting in his car after playing basketball in a public park. After objecting to a car search, he was arrested at gunpoint on charges that ultimately cost him his job as a federal contractor. Other instances were found of taser attacks without cause and people called the nword. Saying the racial bias was pervasive, attorney general holder demanded wholesale and structural corrective action. Cooks communities where local authorities consistently approach Law Enforcement not as a means for protecting public safety, but as a way to generate revenue. A community were both policing and Municipal Court practices were found to be disproportionately harmful to africanamerican residents, a community where this harm frequently appears to stem at least in part from racial bias both implicit and explicit, now that our investigation has reached its conclusion. It is time it is time for fergusons leaders to take immediate wholesale and structural corrective action. Let me be very clear. United States Department of justice reserves all of its rights and abilities to force compliance and implement basic change. Nothing is off the table. Amy the Justice Department says it will take legal action if ferguson doesnt comply with its demands, which include a shift from policing to raise revenue to policing in partnership with the entire ferguson community. In a statement, the st. Louisbased dont shoot Coalition Said now that the lived experience of our community being regularly targeted and harassed by Law Enforcement has been acknowledged, we hope the Ferguson Police department will be brought to justice through a doj lawsuit that results in federal oversight. In response, ferguson mayor James Knowles said he is determined to address the issues raised by the probe, but did not say whether he will comply with its demands. Mayor knowles did announce the firing of a Police Supervisor found to have written racist emails, and the suspension of two others. Let me be clear. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in the Ferguson Police department or in any department in the city of ferguson. Immediately upon leaving that meeting, the three individuals were placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. One has since been terminated and the other two are still awaiting the outcome of an internal investigation. Amy the probe has renewed calls for the dismissal of Ferguson Police chief tom jackson, but knowles did not comment on his future. In unveiling the findings on the Ferguson Police, the Justice Department also confirmed Police OfficerDarren Wilson will not face civil rights charges for the Fatal Shooting of unarmed africanamerican teenager Michael Brown last august. Holder said there is not enough evidence to support a prosecution. The facts do not support the filing of criminal charges against officer Darren Wilson in this case. Michael browns death, though a tragedy, did not involve rescue double conduct prosecutable conduct on the part of officer wilson. This conclusion represents the sound, considered, and independent judgment of the expert career prosecutors within the department of justice. I have been personally briefed on multiple occasions about these findings. I concur with the investigative teams judgment and the determination about our inability to meet required federal standard. Amy wilson avoided criminal prosecution after a grand jury declined to indict him in november. The Justice Departments rejection of federal civil rights charges against wilson comes just days after it reached the same conclusion for george zimmerman, the florida man who shot dead unarmed africanamerican teen Trayvon Martin three years ago this month. In a statement, Michael Browns parents, Lesley Mcspadden and Michael Brown, sr. Said while we are saddened by this decision, we are encouraged that the doj will hold the Ferguson Police department accountable for the pattern of racial bias and profiling they found in their handling of interactions with people of color. It is our hope that through this action, true change will come not only in ferguson, but around the country. If that change happens, our sons death will not have been in vain. In syria, dozens of people are dead following a rebel attack on a government intelligence building in the embattled city of aleppo. Jihadist groups including the Al Qaedalinked nusra front have claimed responsibility. It comes just days after opposition fighters rejected a temporary truce in aleppo, saying they wont accept any deal that keeps basher alassad in power. U. S. And iranian negotiators have reported progress in their bid to reach a nuclear deal before a march 31 deadline. The talks will reconvene on march 15 after concluding on wednesday. The advances come as israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu has returned to israel following his trip to washington seeking to stop the deal. Iranian foreign minister said while caps remain, negotiators are resisting the pressure of warmongers and scare mongers. Were not far from reaching an agreement. There are caps that need to be field, serious ones, but that doesnt mean were not capable of moving forward. We have one very serious problem, and that is there is a great deal of pressure that is being imposed by warmongers, scare mongers, who are trying to prevent a deal by lying demagoguery, and that is an impediment to the necessary atmosphere that is required to reach an agreement. Netanyahu sought to undermine the deal by speaking before congress, which could potentially block any easing of u. S. Led sanctions under the potential agreement. The u. S. Ambassador to south korea has been attacked by knife wielding assailant during a public event in seoul. Mark lippert was preparing to give a lecture when he was slashed in the face. The assailant reportedly shouted antiwar slogans denouncing ongoing military drills between the u. S. And south korea. North korea testfired shortrange missiles. North koreas official news agency has praised a knife attack, telling it expression of resistance. The ambassador tweeted he is doing well after being taken to the hospital and undergoing surgery. Through public and controlled senate has held override president obamas veto of a measure approving construction of the keystone xl pipeline. Obama rejected the bill last week to allow for the completion of a state department reviewed. A former new jersey environment official says the office of governor Chris Christie pushed through a favorable settlement the potentially save the Oil Giant Exxon mobil millions of dollars. Last week, new jersey quietly agreed to accept just 250 million from exxon after initially seeking 8. 9 billion for environment of contamination more than a decade ago. The settlement came just two month after the state attorney generals top us made a Strong Demand for the original 8. 9 billion claim, saying in a court quote bradley campbell, the former commissioner new jersey, department of Environmental Protection says governor christies chief counsel, Christopher Perino and those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. I am amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. We turn to the Supreme Court which heard arguments wednesday in another challenge to the Affordable Care act, or obamacare. If the government loses the case known as king versus burwell millions of people would lose tax subsidies needed to help pay for private Health Insurance. The challenge was brought by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which is backed by the koch brothers. Inside the courtroom, justices appeared sharply divided. The white house warned of catastrophic damage if the court rules against the subsidies. Amy for more, were joined by ian millhiser, senior fellow at the center for American Progress action fund and the editor of think breast justice. He is the author of the forthcoming book, injustices. He attended wednesdays Supreme Court oral arguments in king v. Burwell. Describe the scene inside the courtroom and explain just what this case is all about. So this is really a case about whether or not the justices are capable of reading more than six words. The plaintiffs in this case hone in on these six words in the law in exchange established by the state, and they claim those words appear in a place which makes it the case that if you are in one of the 36 states that has a federally run exchange instead of one of the ones that is a state run Health Exchange under the law, you do not get these tax credits. We are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars worth of tax credits that help people pay for the law were help people pay for insurance. The problem with other with it, the Word Exchange is defined in the law, defined in a way that deems state exchanges of federal exchanges to be the exact same thing. Verys provisions of the law become absurd if you accept the plaintiffs reading of what those words mean. And then there is this problem that if in fact the plaintiffs are right and this came up a lot at oral argument it can set off what is called a death spiral, where it creates a shock to the Insurance Market that could potentially collapse those markets in many states, leaving people in individual Insurance Markets unable to buy insurance at any price. Nermeen could you explain how that would happen . What would the impact be of a decision against, in this case, on Insurance Companies and premiums . Sure thing. So, these tax credits cover depending on what state youre in, an average of 60 to 80 of many of the average person premium. So if this case go south, you will secret deals go up to 600 in many states. Once that happens, Healthy People stop dropping out of the health Insurance Market because the premiums have gone up so much, they can no longer afford their care. When Healthy People drop out of the market, the Insurance Companies no longer have enough revenue to cover the cost of their sick customers. So they have to jack up premiums even more. When they do that, more people drop out, which causes premiums to go up more, which is causing more people to drop out. That is the death spiral deck of potentially collapse the market. What was interesting yesterday justice kennedy, theres a doctor messes states cannot be subjected to unconstitutional coercion. They can be forced to do something under penalty of a terrible consequence. Kennedy seemed to think that if the plaintiffs are right about how this law was written forcing states to choose between setting up their own exchange were dealing with this death spiral is unconstitutional and for that reason, i think he is more likely than not going to vote with the government and say, no, were plaintiffs readings because it is to unconstitutional and would coerce the state and that is not acceptable. Amy it is not as if theyre going back hundreds of years to try to figure out how this law was passed, to determine what is meant by the term established by the state. People debated this. They wrote about it. What about that legal history the intent of those who wrote the law . There is no question here what this law is supposed to be. You dont even have to look at there is a brief filed by any members of congress saying, no, that is not what we meant. The plaintiffs in their brief caught up former senator ben nelson and claimed that nelson wanted it to be this way. Nelson wrote a letter saying, no, that is not how i wanted it. Theres no question this is not how the law was intended to work. But you dont need to look at intention or even look at what these members of congress are saying, all you have to do is read the law. The Word Exchange is defined in the law to say that any exchange, whether it is run by the state or by the federal government, shall be deemed to be in exchange that is established by a state. That is really all you need to know. The Word Exchange is defined in the law, the law clearly says state and federal exchanges are the exact same thing. And if these justices follow the law and arent consumed by partisan politics, this should be an easy case. Nermeen i want to turn to the group behind the case, the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The groups website says this case yaris regulate violates the plain language of the law enacted by congress to either set up such exchanges themselves or stay out of the program. Could you explain what is the Competitive Enterprise Institute and what is their interest in this case . They dont like obamacare. Their interest is, they are opposed to this policy and they want to use the Supreme Court as their agent in order to enact to get rid of this policy they dont like. Look, theres a lot of rightwing groups in washington, d. C. Particularly verlin group. Former board chair wrote a blog post for you compare the Affordable Care act to the holocaust. Think about that. He compared giving Health Insurance to millions of people so that they can live to the holocaust. You are thinking dealing with some folks here who dont really have the same perspective that many people have, and theyre hoping there are five justices that essentially will be their agents to enact an agenda they could not get through congress to engage in a very political, very partisan attack on president obamas chief of congressmans. Amy as we wrap up the New York Times headline, at least one justice is in play as Workers Health case. Where this goes from here . I think is more likely than not the justices will reject this challenge. Kennedy seemed to feel is the plaintiffs were right, that would be unconstitutional. So the court should avoid construction of the law that is unconstitutional. Chief Justice Roberts was dead silent, but roberts upheld the law three years ago