His visit, the continued practice of caste violence. We was equipped Ruth Manorama, winner of the 2006 right livelihood award. Ledinuation of the practice to ever present violations of human rights. Despite legal prohibitions, the itution amy all of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama and russian president Vladimir Putin held their first formal meeting in two years last night in new york. During the 90minute meeting, the president s agreed that their armed forces should hold talks to avoid coming into conflict in syria where fighting has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions. In recent weeks russia has , reached a new intelligencesharing agreement with iraq, iran and syria in the , fight against isil and built up forces inside syria to support president Bashar Alassad. The United States, meanwhile, has called for the ouster of syrian president Bashar Alassad. Well have more on the meeting with professor and author Vijay Prashad. President obama and cuban president raul castro are slated to meet today for their first formal meeting since the u. S. And cuba began to restore diplomatic relations this summer. This comes after castro addressed the u. N. General Assembly Monday, calling for an end to u. S. Embargo and a return of guantanamo bay. After 56 years of heroic and selfless resistance by the cuban people, diplomatic relations were reestablished between cuba and the United States of america. Now a long and complex process begins toward the normalization of relations that will only be achieved with the end of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade, the return to cuba of the territory illegally occupied by the Guantanamo Naval base, the cessation of radio and tv broadcast and of subversion and destabilization programs against the island, and when our people are compensated for the human and economic damages they still indoor. Amy president obama has announced countries across the world have pledged to contribute more than 40,000 new troops to the u. N. Peacekeeping forces. It is unclear whether additional u. S. Troops will be included. The announcement comes as the peacekeeping forces have faced a growing number of allegations of sexual abuse. In the Central African republic, u. N. Forces have been accused of multiple incidents of rape, and of trading sex with young boys for food and money at a displaced persons camp outside the capital bangui. Republican president ial candidate donald trump has announced his longawaited tax plan. The plan departs with his pledges over recent weeks that he would increase taxes for hedge fund guys. Instead, the proposal reduces taxes for the rich, eliminates the estate tax, and lowers the Corporate Tax rate from the currently level of 35 to no more than 15 . The United States already has one of the lowest Corporate Tax levels among industrialized countries. Trump announced the plan in front of manhattans trump tower skyscraper monday. No business of any size from a fortune 500 company to a momandpop shop to a freelancer living from gig to gig will pay more than 15 of their business income in taxes. Amy trumps plan would also reduce taxes for the middle class, while individuals earning less than 25,000 a year would not have to pay income taxes at all, instead simply receiving a onepage form to send the irs that says i win. When asked what he pays in taxes during a press conference, trump declined to answer saying only i fight like hell to pay as little as possible. In more news from the campaign trail, republican president ial candidate and former hewlettpackard ceo Carly Fiorina has endorsed the use of waterboarding in order to get information that was necessary. A 2014 Senate Report said waterboarding is tantamount to torture and that it has produced little useful intelligence. In her interview with yahoo news, fiorina attempted to discredit the report, calling it disingenuous and saying that it undermined the morale of a whole lot of people who dedicated their lives to keeping the country safe. Meanwhile, a new nbc news wall street journal poll says 40 of americans have a positive impression of Vice President joe biden, meaning he would be the most popular president ial candidate if he chooses to enter the 2016 race. Cnn says biden has an open invitation to participate in the first democratic president ial debate on october 13. New data shows european cars may be emitting as much as 40 more Carbon Dioxide than previously thought, suggesting volkswagens cheating scandal is part of an industrywide problem. Greg archer, Program Director of the Group Transport and environment, which works closely with the european commission, announced the reports findings monday. What we found is that there is a really big growing gap between the official test results and the real world that people are actually getting. On average, that gap is now 40 . But for some many fractures, the gap is a great deal bigger. For example, we know on average, worse 80s cars are achieving a gap of 48 are sent. Amy this report comes as german prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against former volkswagen Ceo Martin Winterkorn following revelations volkswagen had illegally installed devices in 11 million cars worldwide to cheat emissions tests. A New York Times analysis estimates the extra pollution caused by the volkswagen cheating may have caused more 100 deaths in the United States alone. Nasa scientists have announced that water flows inpermittedly on the surface of mars. Intermittently on the surface of mars. Nasa scientist John Grunsfeld said monday the discovery raises new questions about whether the planet currently sustains life. Todays announcement of a really fascinating result about current water on mars is one of the reasons why i feel it is even more imperative that we send planetary scientists to mars to explore the question of is their current life on mars . Amy in news from yemen, u. S. Backed, saudiled airstrikes have killed at least 130 civilians after mistakenly bombing a Wedding Party monday. The attack appears to be one of the deadliest in the yearold conflict. It occurred near the southern port city of mokha, where u. S. Backed saudiled airstrikes killed more than 120 people in late july in an attack that Human Rights Watch said may amount to war crimes. In afghanistan, the taliban has seized control of a major afghan city for the First Time Since 2001 after taking over the Northern City of kunduz. This comes amid a deteriorating security situation in afghanistan, with the u. N. Reporting civilian ol casualties are at quote recordhigh levels this year. Late monday, afghan general Murad Ali Murad pledged to retake the city through a counterattack, which began this morning. We have had an Emergency Security meeting tonight. Right now were controlling the situation and we have already prepared ourselves to change a zurrent situation in kundu city. You will see a change by tomorrow. Amy officials in the Central African republic say at least 500 people have escaped from prison amid increasing fighting that has killed at least 42 people in the capital bangui. The fighting began after a muslim man was killed and his body left near a mosque. Pope francis is slated to visit the Central African republic in late november as part of his Upcoming Trip to africa. In peru, at least three people have died after police opened fire on local residents during a protest at the construction site of a new copper mine. The proposed las bambas mine is a multibilliondollar chineseowned project that has faced intense resistance from local residents. Officials say ambulances could not reach the local clinic following the attack because police also shot at a vehicle carrying doctors. At least six people have been killed in peru in antimining protests this year alone. Back in the United States, an Oklahoma Court has rejected a request for a new hearing in the case of deathrow prisoner Richard Glossip, who is slated to be executed wednesday. In 1997, glossip was working as a manager at the best budget inn in Oklahoma City when his boss, barry van treese, was murdered. A maintenance worker, justin sneed, admitted he beat van treese to death with a baseball bat, but claimed glossip offered him money and Job Opportunities for the killing. The case rested almost solely on sneeds claims. No physical evidence ever tied glossip to the crime. In recent months, two men who served time in jail with sneed have come forward saying sneed framed glossip to avoid the Death Penalty himself. On monday, the court ruled this evidence merely builds upon evidence previously presented to the court and rejected a stay of execution. To see our discussions of the Richard Glossip case with sister helen prejean, you can go to democracynow. Org. Meanwhile, Georgia State officials have granted a clemency hearing for deathrow prisoner kelly gissendaner, ahead of her scheduled execution tonight. She was sentenced to death in 1998 for recruiting her boyfriend to kill her husband, and she is the only woman on death row in georgia. The clemency hearing comes only hours after a federal judge declined to temporarily halt her execution amid concerns about the cocktail of drugs the state plans to use in her execution. In san francisco, hundreds of activists flooded the streets of the financial district monday morning to protest climate profiteering. At least 15 people were arrested and traffic was disrupted for more than an hour. Mondays action comes one year after thousands of people held a sitin on wall street to draw attention to the connection between capitalism and climate change. Brown university has rescinded bill cosbys honorary degree, amid accusations by more than 50 women that bill cosby drugged and raped them in cases that go back decades. Fordham university and Marquette University also rescinded honorary degrees from bill cosby last week. And bestselling writer Tanehisi Coates has been selected as one of this years 24 winners of the macarthur genius grants. Coates is the author of the new book, between the world and me, which has been called required reading by toni morrison. In july, Tanehisi Coates joined our studios. What i wanted to do with this book is give the reader some sense of what it meant to live under a system of plunder as an individual, to express that, to take it out of the realm of numbers and to take it directly into individual people. How it feels every day nor like to live under such a system, how you cope with that, how it is warping and perverse, what sort of affected her really has on you. Was sort of effects it ultimately has on you. Amy that was bestselling author Tanehisi Coates speaking about between the world and me. Other winners include the writer and star of the hit Broadway Musical hamilton and very , Environmental Health activist and a chicagobased immigrant rights organizer. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama and russian president Vladimir Putin held their first formal meeting in two years on monday in new york to discuss syria and ukraine. In recent weeks russia has built , up forces inside syria to support president Bashar Alassad and reached a new intelligencesharing agreement with iraq, iran and syria in the fight against the selfproclaimed Islamic State. During the 90minute meeting, u. S. President barack obama and russian president Vladimir Putin agreed that their armed forces should hold talks to avoid coming into conflict in syria where fighting has killed over 200,000 people and displaced millions. Earlier both leaders addressed monday, the United Nations. Putin defended russias support for assad. It was his first u. N. General us only speech since 2005. Pressure to provide military and Technical Assistance to iraq and syria and other countries of the region fighting terrorist groups. We think it is an enormous mistake to refuse to cooperate with the Syrian Government and its armed forces [indiscernible] we should acknowledge no one but president assad [indiscernible] truly fighting the Islamic State and other terrorist organizations in syria. Amy president obama called for a transition away from assad as syrias leader, but conceded the United States is prepared to work with russia and iran to end the fighting in syria. Lasting stability. When the people forge an agreement to live together peacefully. The United States is prepared to work with any nation, including russia and iran, to resolve the conflict. But we must recognize there cannot be after so much bloodshed, so much carnage, a return to the prewar status quo. Amy while president obama is expressing willingness to work with russia to resolve the crisis in syria, that has not always been the case. The guardian recently reported the u. S. Toward a russian offer in 2012 to have syrias assad step aside after peace talks had started between the regime and the opposition. According to former finnish president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, western powers failed to seize on the 2012 proposal because the United States, britain, and france were so convinced the syrian dictator was about the fall. Since then, tens of thousands of more people have been killed and militants from isil have seized swaths of syria. To talk more about the crisis in syria and the obamaputin meeting, were joined by Vijay Prashad. He is professor of International Studies at Trinity College and columnist for the indian magazine frontline. He is the author of several books including arab spring, Libyan Winter. Professor welcome back to , democracy now can you talk about what has been happening at the United Nations this week, particularly, about what the russian and u. S. President s are saying to the world and to each other . Dayell, it is interesting at the u. N. Yesterday. Mr. Obama began he spoke for twice the designated length. He spoke about the american narrative of how the world looks. Principally, he spent a great till of time on russia and on it ran. He made critical comments about both countries. And then he said quite surprisingly or strikingly, that the United States is prepared to coordinate with iran and russia over syrian strategy. That was the most interesting line in his almost half an hour speech at the u. N. , the fact that now after so many years of distrust in syria, in particular , that the United States is willing to accord meet with russia and iran. A few speakers later was Vladimir Putin, who laid out a different narrative of events in syria. He concentrated a great deal on the rise of terrorism on the phenomena of regime change, particularly by the west, creating failsafes which create the condition for the rise of extremism. So putin had a different narrative and he came at it saying that he would like to coordinate with everybody in a joint fight against isis. Neither mr. Obama nor putin laid out any specifics. They just indicated that cooperation was to be considered. This cooperation, of course, is now not only is the United States bombing in Northern Syria, but the russians have moved attack aircraft into western syria and they are preparing to bomb as well in the same region in Northern Syria. So this is now the situation of both countries will be, i guess, in parallel fighting against the Islamic State. Now the question is, what is the politics of this new military, you know, intensification . Amy i want to turn to comments made by russian president Vladimir Putin during his address to the uns General Assembly monday. He said it was a mistake not to work with assads forces against Islamic State militants. We support the legitimate government of syria and it is my deep beli