William barber of the naacp in North Carolina just before he takes part in another act of mass civil disobedience. Then, was your seafood caught by slaves . Today, a shocking expose. Men who were on boats are captive on an island as we found. The goal from the beginning was to find people who were actually captive slaves, to trace that fish back to the american dinner table, and most important, to name names. Amico we will speak to two of the Associated Press reporters. Today, the Pulitzer Prizes will be announced. Will they win . All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Brazils lower house of congress has voted to start impeachment proceedings against president dilma rousseff. 367 to 37 for was impeachment. Jose guimaroes, the congressional leader of roussefs workers party, accused opposition lawmakers of waging a coup. The coup has won in the lower house, but the fight has not ended. No matter if it is in the streets, lanes them or the senate, we will arouse the masses and communicate with the senate. We believe the senate will eliminate the a of the people involved in the coup, which is manipulated by someone with no morals. Amy co brazil has been engulfed in a major corruption scandal, but rousseff herself has not been accused of any financial impropriety. However, 318 members of the Brazilian Congress including many who backed her impeachment are under investigation or face charges. Leading the impeachment process has been brazils speaker of the house eduardo cunha, who has been accused of squirreling away 5 million into swiss bank accounts. Prior to the vote, rousseff said the charges against her were false. The complaint against me that is under analysis in the National Congress was a fraud. The biggest judicial and political fraud in the history of our country. Without this, impeachment would not be voted upon. Brazil and democracy do not deserve this farce. Amy in ecuador, rescuers are still attempting to pull survivors from rubble after the strongest earthquake to hit ecuador in decades killed at a least people and injured more 272 than 2500 others. The death toll from saturdays quake is expected to rise as more bodies are uncovered. A series of earthquakes have also hit the japanese island of kyushu, killing at least 42 people and displacing about 110,000. U. S. Defense secretary ash carter has arrived in baghdad as the Obama Administration prepares to widen its military presence in syria and iraq in its fight against the selfproclaimed islamic state. According to the new york times, the Obama Administration is preparing to send as many as 200 more special Operations Forces to assist syrian rebels, in addition to sending more Army Attack Helicopters to iraq. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused Turkish Border guards of shooting at Syrian Refugees fleeing fighting in northern syria. In other news from syria, the United Nations is warning as many as 10,000 civilians living in a Palestinian Refugee camp near damascus are trapped in their homes and are facing starvation and dehydration. On saturday, pope francis traveled to the greek island of lesbos to meet with refugees who have fled war and poverty in syria, iraq, afghanistan and other countries. Refugees living in lesbos described dire conditions on the island. It is very hard. Life is very hard. The policeman are very good. The people are very good, but the situation is very hard. We are like in jail. Amy co pope francis called on european nations to do more to help refugees fleeing war. To be truly united with those forced to flee their homelands, we need to eliminate the causes of this dramatic situation. It is not enough to limit ourselves to responding to emergencies as they arise. Instead, we need to encourage political efforts that are broader in scope and multilateral. It is necessary above all to build peace where war has brought distraction and death and to stop this scourge from spreading. Amy at the end of his trip pope francis took three families of Syrian Refugees, including six children, aboard his flight to rome. He said its a small gesture, but one which we all need to offer to give a helping hand to those in need Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton spent much of the weekend campaigning ahead of tuesdays primary in new york. On sunday, sanders spoke before a crowd of over 28,000 in brooklyns Prospect Park in what the campaign described as sanders largest rally ever. On friday, sanders took a break from the campaign trail to fly to the vatican where he addressed a conference on social justice. Rather than in the economy aimed at the common good, we have been left with an economy operated for the top 1 who get wealthier and wealthier as the working class, the young, and the poor, fall further and further behind. Amy senator sanders and his wife jane briefly met with pope francis on saturday morning. While sanders was at the vatican at the that can friday was at the vatican on friday, Hillary Clinton spent part of the day campaigning in the bronx where she addressed the financial crisis in puerto rico. We need to tell the hedge funds and the other creditors who are just trying to make a profit off the misery of the puerto rican people to go to the back of the line and a stop blocking us from making a fair resolution of this crisis. Amy on friday night, clinton flew to San Francisco for the first of two fundraisers hosted by george and amal clooney. Tickets at the head table went for over 350,000 per couple. On saturday, protesters in los in california threw dollar bills at clintons motorcade as she drove to one of the dinners. During an interview on the meet the press, George Clooney admitted the amount of money he has helped clinton raise was obscene. I think we had some protesters last night when we pulled up in San Francisco. They are absolutely right to protest. It is an obscene amount of money. The Sanders Campaign when they talk about it is absolutely right. It is ridiculous we should have this kind of money and politics. I agree completely. Amy in other campaign news, Bernie Sanders has released his 2014 tax return. The senator and his wife jane made 205,000 in the entire year. Thats less than what Hillary Clinton earned for giving single speeches. According to the hill, clinton was paid 280,000 in 2014 for a speech to Deutsche Bank, 325,000 for a speech to the National Automobile dealers association, and 225,000 for addressing general electric. In one of the most closely watched legal cases of the year come the supreme will hear arguments today on whether president obama overstepped his authority when he took unilateral action to protect millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation. The case pits the Obama Administration against 26 states led by texas that filed suit to block his 2014 immigration plan. Saudi arabia is threatening to sell off in u. S. Treasury 750 billion securities if Congress Passes a law to allow the families of the victims of the september 11 attacks to sue the saudi government for any role it may have played in the attacks. The kingdoms threat comes just ahead of president obamas trip to saudi arabia on wednesday. The Obama Administration has lobbied congress to block the bills passage. The pentagon has transferred nine guantanamo prisoners to saudi arabia, bringing the total number of remaining prisoners down to 80. One of the nine men who were released was tariq ba odah, who has been on Hunger Strike to demand his freedom since 2007. During his Hunger Strike, his weight dropped to only 74 pounds, and he was repeatedly force fed by guantanamo guards. After the 9 men landed in saudi arabia, one of the former guantanamo prisoners spoke out. As soon as the plane landed, i did not feel i was at an airport. I felt at home. Thank god. It is as if i arrived at my home amidst my family. Thank god. From the first hour we arrived, we have been received and away we could not imagine. I think all of those who wanted to make this happen. Amy in news from afghanistan, the wall street journal is reporting 12 people including , three children, were killed when afghan and u. S. Forces conducted a night raid on the house of a suspected al qaeda member in east afghanistan. Ethiopian Officials Say more than 140 civilians died after gunmen from south sudan opened fire on friday in the border region of gambela. The region is home to thousands of refugees who have fled the ongoing conflict in south sudan. Officials say the armed men also abducted 39 children. Security forces have killed at least 60 of the attackers. And today is tax day, the day americans must file their personal tax returns. The National War Tax resistance coordinating committee is organizing a number of protests today across the country. According to the War Resisters League 44 of all federal tax , income goes to fund current and past military operations. And those are some of the this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Were on the road in our 100 city tour, headed to Salt Lake City tonight and then on to colorado. The right now in washington, more than 900 people have been arrested over the past week on capitol hill in a series of unprecedented protests against the influence of big money and corporate lobbying in politics. More civil disobedience is scheduled for today. The arrests began last monday during an event organized as part of a wave of actions dubbed democracy spring. Another protest began on saturday under the banner of democracy awakening. One of the key organizers of democracy awakening is the reverend William Barber, president of North Carolina chapter of the naacp. I come from the south, from North Carolina, where we have seen the worst coordinated attack in this country will stop at the very time africanamericans are voting at 70 , and were building fusion with progressive whites and latinos, were seen an extremist governor and Legislature Vote to put in place apartheid voting districts. We have seen them shorten the early Voting Period by four weeks ago 70 of those who use the first week are africanamerican. We have seen them eliminate sameday registration because 43 of those that use sameday registration are africanamerican. Voter idthem pass that negatively impacts 300,000 voters. Racial and class attack on our democracy. Amy that was reverend William Barber speaking in washington on sunday at an event organized by democracy awakening. He is planning to risk arrest during an act of mass civil disobedience today on capitol hill, but first he joins us from a studio in washington, d. C. Reverend barber, welcome back to democracy now explain why you have come to the nations capital. First of all, i thank you so much. The naacp along with the Democracy Initiative and 200 other organizations have called for this democracy awakening today, the congress of contents. Im here today not only as the naacp president , but as a pastor. I believe these are deeply, deeply moral issues. When you look at the fact that what this congress that we have now and its current extreme leadership, over 1000 27,000 days, has refused to do what the 15th the memory required the congress to do, and that is to fix the Voting Rights act. 1020 seven days, they refused to reinstate section 5. That act has allowed states like North Carolina and others to engage in the worst attacks on voter rights and Voter Suppression that we have seen since the 19th century because preclearance has been basically nullified. We see the extreme amounts of toey, 10 billion expected be spent in this election alone, and the fact that they have refused to even hear the hearings on the Supreme Court nominee of president obama. This is notive says the awakening. The awakening as a ready happening in the country whether you look at the moral mondays, more than 1000 people were arrested as well, 80,000 people showed up on one occasion. Black lives matter fights for the deal with environmental justice, womens rights, lgbtq rights. What this is signaling is kind of a coming together and recognizing, and i believe, amy, that we are right in the adolescent stage of the third reconstruction. Where people are saying, it is not about democrats and republicans or liberals versus conservatives, but about how do you address the extremism that is constitutionally inconsistent, morally indefensible, and economically insane . The fact that we have less Voting Rights today and the attorney general has less power to enforce Voting Rights today then we had in august 1965 when Voting Rights act was passed is a travesty. And the fact that Neither Party in 16 or 17 debates have focused on that issue. Have staked themselves out on where they are on the restoration of the voter rights act and specifically, the fifth part of it that allows for clearance preclearance. Amy we are talking to reverend dr. William barber, president of the North Carolina naacp who is been participating in the democracy awakening mobilizations. I wanted to turn right now to a woman named Alberta Currie and others like her in North Carolina. Lead plaintiff in the Southern Coalition for social justices legal challenge to North Carolinas to voter id law. She has voted in every election since 1956. But she was unable to get the photo id required by the new law to vote last month in the North Carolina primaries. She only has an expired driving license from virginia because she no longer drives. She also doesnt have a birth certificate as she was born at home to a midwife in the segregated south. She is speaking here to the Southern Coalition for social justice. The way i see it is him a they keep us the way i see it is, they keep us from having a right to vote and keep us from inting the right person election. That is a step backwards. ,ell, the last time we voted they tell us, dont come back. Not come back because i did not have no right to vote. I would need and i do. Amy that is Alberta Currie. Reverend barber, how does this work . Is deeply troubling. We have another plaintiff, over 90 years old, who had to actually recite the preamble to the constitution, who could not read. She was also impacted by this law. Great points. Two number one, the voter id is bad enough. And people need to understand that when shell be happened after june 25, 2013, 1 of our legislators said coming out of the headache has been removed because preclearance was no longer part of the law, they didnt. Just do voter id. They tried to end sameday registration. They cut early voting. All of the tools that were being used, particularly by africanamericans, latinos, and poor people that had North Carolina go from in the bottom of voting to the fourth highest increase in voting. They even stopped allowing outer precinct voting and made it easier for people to be challenged while they were in line. Some say it is the worst attack in the country since shelby. They began with the redistricting earlier, which allowed a super majority not to get elected but to get put in office because they cheated, by creating these are parttime districts apartheid voting districts that are now being challenged in court. Were challenging the law in the court and we are beginning to win in the court. The Fourth Circuit said many of these things were unconstitutional. What we see happening is the playing there struggling strategy again. They know if they can lock up 13 13 southern states, that gives them 135 members of the house of representatives, 26 or 13 governors who control boards of elections and the state legislators. And 160 electoral votes, which means a person running for president if they lock up the south, they only need 102 electoral votes in the other 37 states. This is a game to try to hold onto the solid south. At the very time that black and white and latino coalitions heavy build to break open the southern south that was created by the southern strategy. That womans story and many other stories are what were talking about, and why we are fighting so hard and why we see this also as a matter of i am a christian has tpastor. Ofryone is created an image god. Voting was denied in this country was the because people were considered 3 5 of the person not in the image of god. It is not only bad constitutionally, but theologically. It is literally suggesting a person does not or is not created in the image of god and therefore, the