Against you. They do not want you to be our nominee. And the reason why is because we are not going to turn over the conservative movement or the party of lincoln or reagan, for example, to someone whose positions are not conservative. Dont worry about it, little marco. Amy we will have highlights of the debate and response. Then we remember the life of Berta Caceres. She was assassinated this week just months after winning the goldman environmental prize, the worlds leading environmental award. Our mother earth, militarized, poisoned, a place where basic rights are systematically violated, demands that we take action. Amy we will speak with her nephew, journalist in san francisco. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman juan gonzalez. Im amy goodman. Four republican president ial candidates faced off thursday night at the fox theater in downtown detroit. Marco rubio, ted cruz and john , kasich all teamed up against frontrunner donald trump. Meanwhile, outside the fox theater, hundreds of people rallied to protest the gop debate, and what they say is hateful and islamophobic rhetoric coming from the Republican Party. This is William Antoun of the michigan Muslim Community council. Were here to protest the Republican Debate, the policies and things that some of the candidates are saying, particularly donald trump, the islamaphobic comments with a straight of fascism that is being presented and his followers and their actions. We are here to protest the racism and also to support all people of color over the injustices in the racist comments. Amy well have more on the gop debate after headlines. The 11th republican president ial debate comes as the fbi arrested a donald trump campaigner and 11 other people on charges related to the 2014 stand off at Cliven Bundys ranch in nevada. Jerry delemus is the cochairman of veterans for donald trump in new hampshire. He has been indicted on nine federal felony charges, including conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, assault on a federal officer, and several firearms charges. Two of Cliven Bundys sons were also arrested in the fbi sweep meaning that a total of five , bundy family members are now in jail. Japan, Prime Minister shinzo abe has said he will temporarily halt construction work at the site of a proposed u. S. Military base on the island of okinawa. This announcement is the latest in a decadeslong battle between japans Central Government and the residents of okinawa, the majority of whom oppose the new base. Okinawa already houses about 26,000 u. S. Troops. On friday, prime minster abe said he decided to halt construction work and resume talks because the Central Government and the okinawa region are locked in a stalemate. If we had continued as we have been doing, which is the japanese government and the okinawa and protector locked an internal battle of lawsuits, we would have reached a stalemate. Amy meanwhile, democrats are mounting an increasing campaign to force republicans to consider a Supreme Court nomination by president obama, following the death of justice antonin scalia. Judiciary Committee ChairChuck Grassley has said he will refuse to hold confirmation hearings until the next president until the next president takes office. Democrats appear to be launching a campaign to force grassley to reconsider this position by threatening his reelection in iowa later this year. On thursday, news spread across washington that former iowa Lieutenant Governor patty judge will challenge grassley in the iowa senate race. This comes only one day after news leaked that the white house is considering nominating prominent iowa jurist jane kelly, whom grassley has publicly endorsed in 2013 during her confirmation to the United States court of appeals for the eighth circuit. The Justice Department has asked the fbi to evaluate whether Oil Giant Exxon mobil broke federal laws by lying to investors and the public about climate change. The move comes in response to a request from california congressmen ted lieu and mark desaulnier, who have sought a investigation of exxon mobil following exposes by inside climate news and the Los Angeles Times revealing exxon knew that fossil fuels cause Global Warming as early as the 1970s, but hid that information from the public and instead poured millions into climate denial. California attorney general Kamala Harris and new York Attorney general Eric Schneiderman have also launched investigations of exxon. The increasing scrutiny of exxon mobil comes as recordhigh temperatures in alaska have forced organizers of iditarod to transport a train full of snow to age because there is not enough snow for the famous dog sled race. Organizers also say the teams will cover only 3 miles on saturdays ceremonial start, rather than the usual 11 miles because of the lack of snow to , sled on. This is the second year that the lack of snow has forced organizers to make changes to the race. There does appear to be snow on pluto, however, nasa scientists say. On thursday, scientists released a photo showing a chain of snowcapped mountains stretching across the dwarf planet. They believe the snow consists of methane that has condensed on the mountain peaks. In news from the legal stand off between apple and the fbi, the tech giant has gained a number of prominent allies in recent days, including leading security experts, the United Nations human rights chief, and the husband of a woman who was injured in the San Bernardino attack. The fbi is seeking to force apple to unlock the iphone of one of the suspected shooters in the attack. One of apple supporters is salihin kondoker, whose wife, anies, was shot three times during the attack last december, and has submitted a letter to the judge in the case, writing that apple is worried that this software the government wants them to use will be used against millions of other innocent people. I share their fear. U. N. Human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein echoed this sentiment during a briefing in geneva on thursday. In order to address the securityrelated issue linked to encryption in one case, the authorities risk unlocking a pandoras box that could have extremely damaging implications for the human rights of many millions of people, including the physical and financial security, and this is not just about one case and one i. T. Company and one country. It will have tremendous ramifications for the future of individuals security elsewhere. Amy in south africa, a court has rejected olympic and paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius right to appeal his conviction of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on valentines day in 2013. Last year, an Appeals Court ruling overturned a lower courts decision to convict pistorius on the lesser charge of manslaughter. Pistorius faces a minimum 15year sentence. In texas, state trooper Brian Encinia has formally been fired 8 months after he arrested 28yearold africanamerican sandra bland, who was found hanged in her jail cell three days after her arrest. Dashcam footage of the arrest shows encinia dragging sandra bland out of her car and threatening to light her up. Sandra bland can later be heard on video accusing the Police Officer of slamming her head into the ground. She tells them she has epilepsy to which Trooper Encinia , replies, good. In january, encinia indicted on perjury charges for lying to a grand jury about the traffic stop. Authorities say bland committed suicide while in jail, a claim her family rejects. In argentina, a Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights activist has called on president obama to change the date of his trip to argentina because the scheduled visit on march 24 coincides with the 40th anniversary of the u. S. Backed military coup. The coup toppled argentinas democratically elected government and installed a brutal dictatorship. Withetails have emerged elliott management, which was one of many u. S. Hedge funds to buy up argentine debt at pennies on the dollar amidst the countrys economic crisis in 2001. Former argentine president cristina de kirchner had long demanded the hedge funds, which she called vulture funds, renegotiate the debt, arguing they were unfairly profiting off argentinas economic crisis. But this week, president macris rightwing government agreed to pay singers fund and three others 4. 65 billion. Singers fund itself netted 2. 4 billion, 10 and 15 times its original investment. In new york city, about people 100 rallied as the coalition of immokalee workers announced a National Boycott of fast food giant wendys. The florida farm workers said they were launching the boycott because wendys has refused for years to join the fair food program, which the immokalee workers established to protect farm workers rights. Other fast food giants, including taco bell, mcdonalds and burger king have already , signed on to the program after pressure. Farm worker and organizer lupe gonzalo explained the new york city rally was targeting billionaire nelson peltz, who is a major investor in wendys. Centre asking for one more from every pound of tomatoes they buy from the farms where we are working the hardest. Were demanding their be a code of conduct that protects the rights of the workers so that we can report abuses and have solutions to them. Were also asking for intelligence to sexual abuse intolerance to sexual abuse and modernday slavery, and as women, were faced sexual abuse. On penow we are focusing ltz, a very big investor in wendys, and has a lot to do with what happens at wendys. Amy nelson felt his chair of wendys board. And finally william h. Schaap, a , radical lawyer, author and publisher has died. Together with his wife and partner ellen ray, who died a few months ago, he published the covert action information bulletin, which reported reported on illegal Central Intelligence agency activities. It also identified cia agents by name from a practice outlawed by congress in 1982. Schaap also represented cia whistleblowers, including philip agee. He and ray also founded Sheridan Square press, which published the new orleans prosecutor jim garrisons book on the trail of , the assassins my investigation and prosecution of the murder of president kennedy, which was a source for oliver stone in making the 1991 film jfk. He was also democracy now s first lawyer. And those are some of the headlines. This democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. I am amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. In an extraordinary day for the Republican Party, the gops last two president ial nominees, mitt romney and john mccain, denounced the republicans current frontrunner donald trump saying he is a danger to the nation and the party. Romney spoke in utah. Let me put it very plainly. If we republicans choose donald trump is our nominee, the prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished. I understand the anger americans feel today. In the past, our president s have channeled that anger and forged it into resolve, into endurance and high purpose come in into the will to defeat the enemies of freedom. Our anger was transformed into energy directed for good. Mr. Trump is directing our anger for less than noble purposes. He creates scapegoats and muslims and muslims and mexican immigrants. He calls for the use of torture. He calls for killing the innocent children and family members of terrorists. E cheers assault on protesters he applauds the prospect of twisting the constitution to limit First Amendment freedom of the press. This is the very brand of anger that has led other nations into the abyss. Here is what i know. Donald trump is a phony, a fraud. He has his promises are as worthless as a degree from trump university. Amy hours after mitt romney spoke, donald trump came under more criticism at a debate in detroit hosted by fox news. Florida senator marco rubio also focused on trump university, trumps forprofit venture now at the center of a multimilliondollar fraud claim. He is trying to do to the American Voter what he did to the people that signed up for this course. He is making promises he is no intention of keeping and it wont just be 32,000 they lose, it is our country that is at stake. The future of the United States and the most important election in a generation and he is trying to con people into giving them their vote just like he conned these people into giving them their money. Excuse me, excuse me. The real con artist is senator marco rubio. Who was elected in florida and has the worst voting record in the United States senate. He doesnt go to vote. He is absent. He doesnt go. The people of florida cant stand him boast of you could not get elected dogcatcher. I understand the folks were supporting donald right now. Youre angry. Youre angry at washington and he uses angry rhetoric. But for 40 years, donald has been part of the corruption in washington that youre angry about. And youre not going to stop the corruption in washington by supporting someone who is supported liberal democrats for four decades from jimmy carter to john kerry to Hillary Clinton. Youre not when to stop the corruption and the cronyism by supporting someone who has used government power for private gain. Instead, we need a president who stands with the american people. Amy the Republican Debate repeatedly broke down into shouting matches and name calling. Within the first 10 minutes of the debate, trump even defended the size of his penis on while responding to a recent comment from marco rubio about the size of his hands. I also happened to call him a lightweight, ok, and i have said that. So i would like to take that back. Usually not that much of a lightweight. As far i have to say this, i have to say this, he hit my hands. Nobody has ever hit my hands. Look at those hands. Are they small hands . If he referred to my hands they were small, Something Else may be small. I guarantee you, theres no problem. I guarantee it. Juan Ohio Governor john kasich tried to stay out of the fray but also advocated for the most , hawkish Foreign Policy of the night calling for a significant , number of u. S. Ground forces in syria, iraq and libya. Klux fortunately come in libya, there are only a few cities on the coast because most of libya is a desert. The fact of the matter is, we absolutely have to be not just with special forces, thats not going to work. Come on, yet to go back to the invasion when we pushed Saddam Hussein out of kuwait. We have to be on the ground in significant numbers. We do have to include our muslim, arab friends to work with us on that. And we have to be in the air. It should be a Broad Coalition made up of the kinds of people that were involved when we defeated saddam. Now, you to be on the ground and in the air both in area and iraq. And at some point, we will have to deal with libya. Amy despite the growing attacks on donald trump from within the republican establishment, all three of his challengers vowed to support trump if he wins the nomination. Click i will support the republican nominee. Klux mr. Trump, yes or no . Senator cruz, yes or no, you will support donald trump if he is the nominee . Word i because i gave my would. Would you support donald trump . I kind of thing before it is all said and done, i will be the nominee. Amy to talk more about the Republican Debate, were joined by two guests. Lester spence is associate pressor of Political Science and Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins university. His new book is, knocking the hustle against the neoliberal turn in black politics. And joining us from irvine, california, is brian levin, the director of the center for the study of hate extremism at California State University in San Bernardino. His recent article in the Huffington Post is, we all must draw a line against hate and violence. Lester spence, your reaction to the debate last night . It was like pulling teeth watching it. I was born in detroit, grew up in the area, and i think it is really interesting that at no point in time during the debate at all did they talk about the policies that are affecting detroit are the policies affecting cities like flint, policies of emergency Financial Management that are kind of reflected of bipartisan consensus but were basically created by Republican Legislature and republican governor. My mom was a substitute teacher at spain elementary. She just retired. Spain elementary had a roach into station, a gymnasium crumbling, and it required village a generous ellen bieber to ge