Dead and an assassin in life. Such is the situation of our country, our mother of order rico. The assassin is the power of the United States of north america. Amy we will speak to author of the new book war against all Puerto Ricans and put in Independence Party member Hugo Rodriguez and puerto rico. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The United Nations has estimated up to 815 migrants perished when their boat capsized on route to europe sunday. Confirming its place as the worst migrant disaster in the mediterranean sea. Survivors have put the death toll between 400 900 400 to 900 50 people, with reports hundreds were locked in a hold by smugglers. Italian authorities have arrested the captain and other crew members. On monday, at least three people died when another boat ran aground off the greek island while italian authorities said they rescued over 600. As the European Union lunch to back, protesters gathered to demand urgent action. And this Teacher National director called Amnesty International director called for Robust Program similar to italys discontinued ameren ostrom. Looking the other way with hundreds of people dying in the mediterranean. We need to take action and bring about an operation of rescue. Amy the United States has to played two additional warships off the coast of yemen in what officials call the signal to our rent over shipment of armed houthi rebels. The move is also seen as a support of saudi arabia over its Bombing Campaign against the rebels in yemen. On monday, a saudi heaven led strike set off an earthquakelike last in the capital, killing at least 25 people. Oxfam has condemned the strike sunday which had one of its military and storage facilities. Humanitarian storage facilities. As the conflict increases, at the receptor killed Washington Post reporter with espionage. U. S. Paratroopers have begun training Ukrainian Forces were battling prorussian rebels in the country ceased. About 300 u. S. Troops will train 900 ukrainian counterparts despite russias warning the move could destabilize the situation. In oklahoma, tulsa county sheriff stanley plans has apologized to the family of eric harris, the unarmed africanamerican man fatally shot by reserve Deputy Robert bates who claims he mistook his gun for a taser. Following a tulsa world report three supervisors were reassigned after refusing to falsify bates training records. Bland said he was not aware of any falsification, but it knowledge to records are missing. In baltimore, maryland, Six Police Officers have been suspended over the death of a man whose neck was broken in police custody. Freddie gray died a week after his arrest. Police say an autopsy confirmed gray died of spinal cord injuries and was apparently injured while inside a police fan. Police said gray was arrested after he ran away after a lieutenant and made eye contact with him. He was charged with carrying a knife, although, authorities acknowledge that a possessing a knife are running away are necessarily crimes. Officials say gray asked officers for an asthma inhaler but a medic was not called until over 40 minutes later. In illinois, and opted to Chicago Police detective who opened fire on a group of people killing an unarmed 22yearold africanamerican woman has been acquitted. He killed one woman and injured her friend in 2012, claimed he thought cross had a gun. No gun was found. The judge dismissed the case before the difference even called a witness saying his actions were beyond reckless but prosecutors failed to prove their case. Boyds brother mourned outside the courthouse. We will never build a hug and kiss her no more. We will never be up to say i love you. We will never be up to see that smile again. Amy over 50 disability rights activists have been arrested at a protest in washington, d. C. The group is to many president obama issued an executive order to end the inhumane warehousing of people interesting facilities and implement policies to ensure living wages for health care attendance under medicaid. Walmart workers have accused the retailer of closing down five stores in order to suppress growing calls for a living wage and benefits. The united food and commercial Workers Union filed a complaint before the National LaborRelations Board over the closures, which include the California Store which was the site of the first u. S. Walmart strike in 2012. Walmart says the closures are for plumbing issues. And the 2015 Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced. Winners include the posting courier of charleston south carolina, which took the goldmedal for Public Service for series on Domestic Violence homicides. The st. Louis postdispatch and writer Elizabeth Colbert in general nonfiction for her book the fix extinction was quoted about, change. To see our interview, you can go to democracynow. Org. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. With the debt clock ticking greece is fast running out of money. All state bodies up in order to place her cash reserves in the central bank, the bank of greece as it struggles to stay afloat. Greece is supposed to receive the last installment of its bailout funds from european creditors. But the countries knew leftist antiausterity party has expressed concerns about its terms. The creditors reportedly pressuring the country to restructure its labor market and curtail its pension system. Sir reza has instead in the opposite by increasing pension payments to lower wage workers. Eaking in washington, d. C. Last week, the head of the International MonetaryFund Christine Lagarde urged greece to restore stability. What needs to happen now is the political views need to actually deliver the measures, the tools, the reforms that would actually reach the objectives that have been set between International Community and greece. Restore stability improve the economy, make sure one of these days greece reacts as the Financial Market on its own and without support. That is what needs to happen. And were completely available to work with the greek authorities on those objectives. Amy on friday, eurozone finance ministers will decide whether to release emergency funds to greece. Without the funds, greece may default on its debt payments in coming weeks of its membership in the euro zone at risk. For more we go directly to athens, greece, where we are joined by greece finance minister yanis varoufakis. He is not only a political economist, but also something of a global celebrity. Prospect magazine list semester much as the worlds most leading thinkers it after french economist and before canadian author naomi klein. Yanis varoufakis, welcome back to democracy now can you tell us what youre calling for right now . How high are the stakes . I would like to phrase my answer in terms that dont resemble a hollywood movie and a kind of confrontation. The way i see it is this. Greece has been in a class of a major crisis over the last five years. We had a serious recession that led to a depression. So the question is, how can we put in and to these neverending downward spirals so as to stabilize the economy, create conditions for the return of a degree of social justice, and also repay our debts to our creditors. The official version was that greece was on the mend and austerity was working. Our proposition to the greek people on which basis he were elected was the opposite. The medicine wasnt working. It wasnt just that it was bitter and we did not want to take it, it was toxic and making a bad thing worse. It was worse than the disease. This is what is at stake. You asked me how high are the stakes . It is a question of establishing what needs to be done in order to return greece to a sustainable path. Juan yanis varoufakis, you talk to your speech you gave at the Brookings Institution of the design failures of the European Union. Could you talk about that . This is a common secret that the eurozone was never designedtain the shockwaves of the major Financial Markets earthquake of 2008. It was like all Monetary Unions that lack shock absorbing mechanism, mechanisms for recycling a give you an example. Remember what happened in 1929 . There was a global currency of sorts, the gold standard, the created very sharp, very quick flows of capital even back then even of the internet was not available at the time in the were no computers. And that created bubbles that eventually burst beginning of course with wall street. And the result was, the burden of adjustment when on to the debt nations in the devastated parts within the United States. What did the Roosevelt Administration do with the new deal . A creative mechanisms for recycling Debt Services within the United States of america through Social Security, through the fed, the fdic so that when the next crisis happened in 2008 which, of course, was monumental even in the United States, the next 1929 in 2008 happened, the ste of nevada did not have to bailout the banks domiciles in nevada in the state of nevada did not have to worry about an implement benefits. He had these shock absorbing mechanisms. Were the fdic looking out for the banks of nevada and Social Security at the federal level paying automatically without a political decision. Texas from new york state and california were diverted to pay. These are the types of mechanisms needed in order to end Monetary Union europe never had those. Amy i want to turn to the opposition lawmaker of the new democracy party, which is the former governing party of greece. He criticized your party, the governing party am a syrizas approach to financial troubles. It is devastating. All this uncertainty downgraded, the fact the government is using all the available cash, thing no one. The fact the banks are funneling all the liquidity to support the government is catastrophic for the economy. In action has a real cost. Amy yanis varoufakis, your response . Well, look. If it were true that the Greek Economy was on the mend prior to election and it was on a sustainable path then my colleague would be right. Unfortunately, it isnt. The debt deflationary crisis was continuing. Nominal incomes continue to fall. The debt continues to rise. The banks could not function as credit providing institutions. Investment was negative. And generally speaking, the Greek Economy was like a drug addict that relied on the next dose of loans from international and european creditors. What we try to do was to say to our creditors, partners in europe, into the whole world that this recipe was simply not working. And we took a very considered view and very principled position. We said, look, if we sign on the dotted line of this existing program imfinspired program, then we will secure another 7 billion, another does if you want, and our addiction will continue. But at least we will have our ghost for a few more months. We didnt take that does. We did not sign on the dot of line because we want to get rid of the addiction. We want to stabilize the Greek Economy. If that means to be a standoff for a few months, our creditors who dont like to hear the program they have been enforcing and implementing in greece for the last five years was a failure nobody likes to be told what you been doing for five years is a failure. Well, this is the price we have to pay in order to reboot greece and reboot our relationship with our creditors. The only way it could be heard was to say, we are not interested in getting this loan until or unless we have a rethink of the whole program so that greece stops going down the path of the downward spiral of debt deflation. In the meantime, if this means our bonds have been downgraded well, from what . From one million to minus 1. 1 million . Then so be it. We were not elected to live. We were elected to say to our own people and to the people around the world that this medicine has not been working and we need a new treatment. Juan meanwhile, many World Leaders keep putting pressure on greece. U. S. Treasury secretary jack lew warned a fullblown crisis in our country would impact the wider european and Global Economy. This is what he said. If there is a crisis, it will first hit greece and it will hit the greek people very hard but is something the european Global Economy do not need to have another crisis. So it is in everyones interest to find that space, but greek government needs to come forward with a kind of details the institutions and they can work through to find the kind of program that can have that kind of confidence. Juan your response to treasury secretary lew . Secretary lew is absolutely spot on, quite right. This is a crisis we dont have to have because stand up we should have ended some time ago standoff we should have ended some time ago. If this negotiation fails to achieve an advantageous outcome, the situation will be dire. We are completely in agreement with that. What i believe jack lew has been doing over the last few days and weeks, he is been applying pressure to both the greek government but on the other hand the institutions imf, European Central bank, european commission, european partners, to get to an agreement. On the question of proposals of settling the agreement, i can assure you, quite a few weeks actually, months, the greek government has clear proposals on how to settle this. It is a matter of convincing the institutions the three institutions that the ways of yesteryear, the ways of the last five years, were not solving the problem, that we need deeper reforms. We need to get rid of the idea the austerity is going to end the debt crisis. We need an investment package for greece, and we need together with our partners in these institutions, to agree on a reform mechanism, reform package that attacks here in greece the worst case of rent seeking, the cartels the oligarchies, but instead are targeting the little people, the pensioners who are living on a 600 a month, as if that is a reform that would work. Amy yanis varoufakis, what will you do if europe expels you from the euro . Europe is not going to expel us from the euro. I refuse to believe europe would ever operate that way. Remember, that since the end of the second world war, european peoples and the governments have been working tirelessly to bring closer integration together. Nobody in europe wants to begin the process of disintegration. After all, what is a very small philosophical difference of opinion. Opposition is our position is, the last five years offer proof that this program you had agreed with previous governments was not working. And now we need to reboot it. We need another one. We need one that makes perfect sense, that is completely automatic, and would solve two major things. Firstly, removes the austerity have been driven logic from the scene because it is selfdefeating and pushing debt up rather than down by attacking incomes from which the debts will have to be repaid. And secondly, d for reforms deeper reforms and in particular, the oligarchy and very gross level of inequality, which is adding to the crisis. When you have a society like greece turning into less legally to more unequal society, and you reduce the tax base by allowing the rich to get away without paying their taxes, to have tax immunity, and constantly to be looking smallscale behavior while neglecting the grand scale behavior then youre simply making things worse. Believe you me, our proposal we all want to come to conclusion quickly. We were prepared months ago to come to an agreement. We are working tirelessly to forge this agreement for the benefits of greeks, europeans and the global community. Amy yanis varoufakis, thank you for being with us, finance minister of greece. January 2015 general election, elected to the greek parliament, representing syriza, and took office in the new government of tsipris soon afterwards. His professor and author of some 15 books. Does she is a professor and author of some 15 books. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. When we come back, we were member Pedro Albizu Campos. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with Juan Gonzalez. Juan commemorations are being held across puerto rico today to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Pedro Albizu Campos popularly known to many as don pedro. Leader of the Independence Movement, he spent some 26 years in prison for organizing against u. S. Colonial rule. He was born in 1891 to seven years before the u. S. Invaded the island. He would go on to become the first puerto rican to graduate from harvard law school. Once he returned to puerto rico, he dedicated his life to the Independence Movement and of becoming pre