We will go to havana to speak with former cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray treto. As a cuban who respect everything that is positive from the u. S. But does not want to return to the situation of subordination we had before 1959, i look forward to a normalization of relations. Amy then to Khalil Muhammad the director of the Schomburg Center for research in black culture on the condemnation of blackness race, crime, and the making of modern urban america. Khalil that does not go away. Are they the collective unwillingness to confront the past . History, ultimately, is an essential tool of empowerment. It is a matter of life and death. Amy and then fast food workers in 230 cities are walking off of the job as part of the white for the fight for 15 campaign. A push for a 15 an hour minimum wage. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Senate ForeignRelations Committee has approved a measure that would give congress a say in the final nuclear deal with iran. The bill was passed by unanimous vote after president obama withdrew his opposition. The white house says the bill was sufficiently modified to address its concerns, but the bills sponsors say the administration backed down rather than face bipartisan opposition. The measure calls for a Senate Review of a final nuclear deal and a potential congressional vote on lifting sanctions. If Congress Votes to reject the iran deal, the senate would need a 67 vote majority to overturn a veto from president obama. Senator bob corker outlined the terms. Senator Corker Congress stays involved if an agreement is reached, and if one is not disapproved, Congress Stays involved, and every 90 days the administration has to certify that in every way iran is in compliance, and if there are violations within a 10day period they have to give that to congress, so that we have the ability, if we wish, to reapply the sanctions which if a deal is approved would be alleviated. Amy the full senate is expected to approve the measure when it takes it up later this month. If obama cant override a veto of a measure rejecting the deal, he would become the only leader involved in the multination Iran Nuclear Deal unable to fully honor the pledges made. President obama told congress that he plans to remove cuba from the u. S. List of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing away the main obstacle to restoring diplomatic relations and reopening embassies after more than half a century of enmity. Cuba was placed on the terrorism list in 1982, at a time when havana was supporting liberation struggle in africa and latin america. Once cuba is officially removed from the list, iran, sudan, and syria, will be the only countries remaining. We will have more on the story after headlines. We will go to havana cuba. The u. N. Security council has passed a resolution imposing an arms embargo on Houthi Rebels in yemen. U. S. Ambassador Samantha Power said the measure targets those stoking yemens violence. Ambassador power the United States strongly supports the adoption of todays revolution resolution which demands that the booty cease houtui cease military operations. The travel ban as well as a targeted arms embargo shows that this council will take action against those who continue to undermine efforts toward reconciliation. Amy several yemen analysts say the measure could intensify the siege of yemen, which has choked off its economy and denied vital supplies to a country in crisis. The measure adopts no restrictions on the military campaign led by saudi arabia and excludes an initial russian proposal for a humanitarian pause in the saudiled strikes. According to u. N. Figures, at least 364 civilians have been killed and over 680 wounded since the saudi strikes began three weeks ago. Both the strikes and houthi rebel attacks have been blamed. On tuesday, the u. N. High commissioner for human rights warned that both sides may have committed war crimes, and urged saudi arabia to avoid bombing civilians and public infrastructure. The saudiled strikes have hit hospitals, schools, a refugee camp and several neighborhoods. According to the wall street journal, u. S. Officials have privately voiced concerns to saudi counterparts about civilian casualties and the operations broader aims. But theyve also increased support for the strikes in recent days, providing them with direct targeting support for sites the kingdom wants to bomb. In the other news from yemen the group al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula says one its Senior Leaders has died in a u. S. Drone strike. Ibrahim alrubaish, a top saudi figure in aqap and a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was reportedly killed on sunday. He had a 5 Million Dollar bounty on his head. This comes as a new study by the open Society Justice foundation has found that u. S. Drone strikes have killed yemeni civilians despite president obamas vow to launch attacks only if there is near certainty no innocents will be harmed. Abdulrasheed al faqih, the reports coauthor said, quote, in incident after incident, eyewitnesses told us of watching civilians being burned alive, or of losing parents, siblings and children in u. S. Drone strikes. Civilians wanted to know why they had been targeted when they were not affiliated with alqaeda. They wanted justice. A coalition of 45 aid groups is appealing for global pressure to end the israeli blockade of the gaza strip. The association of International Development agencies says reconstruction is barely underway on the thousands of homes destroyed in last summers sixweek israeli assault. Meanwhile Living Conditions have only worsened as israel continues the siege and foreign aid is at a trickle. Just 26 of 3. 5 billion dollars pledged at a donors conference in october has arrived. The groups say that without open borders and a durable israelhamas ceasefire, quote, a return to conflict and the cycles of damage and donorfunded reconstruction that accompany it is inevitable. an Egyptian Court has confirmed the death sentences of 14 people, including mohammed badie, leader of the muslim brotherhood. Muslim brotherhood. Badie has been sentenced to death before, with those sentences later reduced to life imprisonment. The court also sentenced american citizen Mohamed Soltan to life in prison on charges of supporting the brotherhood and transmitting false news. The defendants were tried for events surrounding the rabaa massacre of august 2013, when Egyptian Forces killed hundreds of protesters opposing a military coup. The verdicts will be appealed to egypts highest civilian court. They come just two weeks after the Obama Administration lifted a freeze on military aid to the egyptian regime. In a statement, the white house condemned soltans life sentence and demanded his immediate release. A nineyear old girl is reportedly pregnant after being gang raped in captivity by the militant Group Islamic state in iraq. The girl is one of over 200 Yazidi Christians released by isis last week. She has been flown to germany for medical treatment. Aid workers say she is so young, she could die if she delivers the baby. Hillary Rodham Clinton has kicked off her bid for the democratic president ial nomination with her first formal campaigning in iowa. Clinton told supporters she intends to focus on four areas see support because additional mend and to get on dependable money out of politics. Mrs. Clinton we need to strengthen families and communities, because that is where it all starts. We need to fix our dysfunctional political system, and get unaccountable money out of it once and for all, even if that takes a constitutional amendment, and lead to protect our country from the threats that we see, and the ones that are on the horizon. So, i am here in iowa to begin a conversation about how we do that. Amy two College Students have been charged for a Sexual Assault that Florida Police say was witnessed in broad daylight, but that no one tried to stop. Cellphone video shows the suspects surrounding an incapacitated woman on a crowded beach filled with College Students on their spring break. Police say the victim was then gang raped while a large crowd stood around. A third suspect is being sought. The woman says she believes she was drugged and doesnt remember the incident. Former educators in atlanta, georgia, have been given prison sentences of up to seven years for their roles in a massive cheating scandal at public schools. Prosecutors say teachers were forced to modify incorrect answers, and students were even allowed to fix their responses during exams. Twentyone other defendants avoided trial with plea deals, but the nine sentenced to jail rejected sentencing agreements so they can appeal their verdicts. It is said to be one of the Largest School cheating scandals in u. S. History. Donald bullock, an educator who reached a plea deal, apologized for his role in court. Donald i apologize to the School System as well as the Greater Community for my involvement that resulted in cheating or other dysfunctional acts. Amy the case has fueled new scrutiny of the Education Systems reliance on standardized testing, which critics say incentivizes cheating. According to the new york times, cheating has grown at School Districts around the country as standardized testing has become a primary means of evaluating teachers, principals and schools. In a major show of opposition to standardized testing, tens of thousands of parents in new york state had their children boycott the annual english Language Arts exam. The action is seen as a major challenge to the education agenda of Governor Andrew Cuomo and to standardized testing nationwide. You can find out more in democracy now cohost juan gonzalezs latest column for the new york daily news, which well link to at our website. The head of the world bank has endorsed calls for end to fossil fuels. He said they are feeling the boot of Climate Change on the. This comes as students at Harvard University are holding harvard heat week, a bid to pressure the school to divest from the fossil fuel industry. There is occupations of the Alumni Association and a blockade of buildings. Protests have been held from coast to coast in a day of action against Police Violence and racial profiling. In new york city, some 250 people with the stop Mass Incarceration Network marched across the brooklyn bridge. I want to stop the Police Brutality against latinos and black people. 99 of the are committing violence against spanish people, black people. We cannot have this. Why do they have to abuse us . Amy dozens of people were arrested as scuffles between demonstrators and police broke out and traffic was disrupted for several hours. Activists were also detained in los angeles after a large crowd blocked a metro track during tuesday rush hour. The protests follow the recent Police Killings of unarmed africanamericans walter scott in South Carolina and eric harris in oklahoma. Each incident was caught on video. Well have more on this story later in the broadcast. And protests are being held across the country today in what organizers call the largestever mobilization of underpaid workers. Fastfood workers in 230 cities are walking off the job as part of the fight for 15 campaign, a push for a 15anhour minimum wage. Hundreds of workers marched in boston on tuesday, holding their action one day early in deference to todays anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings. Students will also walk out at more than 200 schools in what is being described as the biggest campus protests since the it kicked off at a mcdonalds in brooklyn. I work at mcdonalds. Im here to fight for 15, for what we deserve. We have been working for 8. 75. It is not enough to live on. We work really hard to not be able to live. Not only fast food workers, but everybody of minimum wage should make more so that we can support our family and support ourselves. Amy students will also walk out at more than 200 schools in what is being described as the biggest campus protests since the antiapartheid movement. The students and fastfood workers will be joined by lowwage employees from other fields and businesses, including home care, child care, airport and walmart. Organizers say the actions are being held on tax day to highlight the public assistance needed to support underpaid workers. A new study says low wages are forcing working families to rely on more than 150 billion dollars in public assistance. According to the university of california, center for Labor Research and education, more than half of combined state and federal spending on public assistance goes to working families. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama told congress on tuesday he intends to remove cuba from a u. S. List of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing a main obstacle to restoring diplomatic relations with havana for the first time in a half century. Obamas move came just days after he and cuban president raul castro sat down at a summit in panama for the first meeting of its kind since Dwight Eisenhower and Fulgencio Batista met in 1958 before the cuban revolution. President obama this shift in u. S. Policy represent a turning point for our entire region. The fact that president castro and i are both sitting it today marks an historic occasion. It is the first time in half a century all the nations of the americas are meeting to address our future together. Amy at the meeting, cuban president raul castro urged obama to remove cuba from the terrorism list. President castro we have expressed, and i repeated it again here to president obama, our willingness for respectful dialogue between both states within our profound differences. I see as a positive steps recent statements that he will quickly decide to remove cuba from the list of countries that sponsor state terror, on which we should never have been included. Amy cuba was placed on the terrorism list in 1982. In his letter to congress, obama wrote the cuban government has not provided any support for International Terrorism in the past six months, and has provided assurances that it will not support acts of International Terrorism in the future. Once cuba is officially removed from the list in 45 days, iran sudan and syria will become the only countries on the list. Josefina vidal, cubas top diplomat responsible for dealing with the us, said quote the cuban government recognized the fair decision made by the president of the United States to eliminate cuba from a list that it never should have been included on, especially considering our country has been the victim of hundreds of acts of terrorism that have cost 3,478 lives and maimed 2,099 citizens, she said. For decades the United States has supported anticastro militants who have carried out airline bombings, assassinations and attacks on hotels. In 1976, militants blew up a Cubana Airlines flight killing all 73 people. The mastermind of the attack was a cia operative named Luis Posada Carriles who is still living in florida. Well cuba is being removed from the terrorism list, the trade embargo remains in effect. Since 1962, companies have been banned from doing business with cuba. To talk more about the thawing of u. S. Cuban relations we go havana cuba, or we are joined by former cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray treto. He served as ambassador to belgium and luxembourg, and head of the Cuban Mission to the European Union. He has also taught at the university of havana and serves on the Editorial Board of temas, a leading journal of social sciences and the humanities in cuba. We welcome you to democracy now can you start by talking about the announcement that cuba will be taken off of the u. S. Terrorism list. What is your response . President castro dr. Treto amy, thank you for having me. I think this is a major step by president obama, the most complete act he has taken since he announced his decision with president raul castro to normalize the relations. This is the first app to normal relations, taking cuba off of a list that cuba should not have been ever. In 1982, it was the Reagan Administration searching for some kind of excuse to attack cuba. As a matter of fact, secretary state Alexander Haig said at the