Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20160915 : vimarsana.com

Operations by the u. S. And british governments. If snowden returned to the unitedteomusa wh he now lives in exile, he would faceharges of tht s secrets and violating the espionage act and face at least 30 years in prison. This week his supporters launched a new call for president obama to offer snowden clemency, a plea agreement, or a pardon before the end of his term. I am comfortable with the decisions i made. But i dont think it is up to me to decide the direction of the future of our society. I believe participatory multilateral we should intentionally try to remove the outside influence of particular individuals, and that includes myself. And that is why i myself do not ask for a pardon. Amy today we will host a debate about whether snowden should be pardoned with trevor timm, executive director of the freedom of the press foundation, and bradley moss, a National Security attorney who has represented whistleblowers. Then how the Trump Organizations foreign business ties could upend u. S. National security. A sweeping new investigation by newsweek, rses questions about the little known Trump Organization, a vast Financial Network that stretches from new york city to india, ukraine, china, brazil, argentina, turkey, and russia. This comes as trump has repeatedly attacked the Clinton Foundation during the primary campaign. Well speak with the reporter who broke the story, newsweeks Kurt Eichenwald. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The American Civil Liberties union and other human rights organizations have launched a campaign asking president obama to pardon nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden before obama leaves office. Among those who have signed onto the campaign are apple cofounder steve wozniak, actors martin sheen, danny glover and susan sarandon, writers Rebecca Solnit and terry tempest williams, and pentagon papers whistleblower dan ellsberg. At an event in new york city, aclu executive director Anthony Romero called for a pardon. Presents for president obama to use the president ial power, a pardon, proudly and unequivocally in recognition of one of the most important act of whistleblowing in modern history. By standing up for the privacy rights of his fellow citizens, individuals who read no idea the government had assumed such extraordinary and invasive powers in secret, Edward Snowden should be thanked and not punished. Amy full page ads calling for the pardon also ran wednesday in the Washington Post and politico. Edward snowden himself also appeared via video stream at the event in new york city wednesday. I love my country. I love my family. Life tove dedicated my both of them. These burdens i took on, i knew were coming. And no one should be in a position to make these kind of decisions that is not the kind of place we are supposed to be. But it doesnt have to be. Of course i look forward to coming home, but i cannot support the persecution of those charged under an espionage act whenever committed no espionage. Amy we will host a debate on the growing calls for obama to pardon Edward Snowden after headlines. In news from the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton and donald trump have both released more information on their medical history. Hillary clinton released a letter froher doctor saying she continues to remain healthy and fit to serve as president of the United States. This comes as Hillary Clinton returns to the campaign trail within event in North Carolina with an event in North Carolina today after spending a few days this week recovering from pneumonia. Donald trump, in contrast, taped an interview with the Controversial Television persona dr. Oz in which trump shows him copies of some of his recent physical last week. The full interview is slated to air today, but this is a clip. If your health is as strong as it seems, why not share your medical records . Mr. Trump i have no problem in doing it. Here. It right nea should i do it . [applause] it is two letters. Amy meanwhile, donald trump has continued to refuse to release his tax returns. In more campaign news, donald trump was confronted by a pastor while speaking in flint, michigan, wednesday. Trump had been invited by reverend faith green timmons to speak at the bethel United Methodist church. This was trumps first visit to flint, where a lead contamination crisis has poisoned many of the citys residents, who are predominantly african american. But when trump veered off course and began to attack Hillary Clinton over her support for nafta, the pastor stepped in. Mr. Trump Hillary Clinton supported nafta, supported chinas entry to the World Trade Center mr. Trump, i invited you here to thank as mr. Trump ok, ok. Thats good. And im going to go back onto ok. Ok. Flints pain is a result of so many different failures. Rapidly wrapped up his speech. A trove of hacked emails released on the website dcleaks. Com continues to reveal statements made by former secretary of state colin powell. In addition to a june 17 email in which he called donald trump a National Disgrace and an International Pariah powell also , attacked trump in an email on august 21 for being one of the leaders of the racist birther movement, which falsely claims president obama wasnt born in the United States. In another email, former secretary of state powell also called dick cheney and his daughter liz idiots, writing they are idiots and spent force peddling a book that aint going nowhere. The email was a reference to the cheneys book, exceptional why the world needs a powerful america. The United States is slated to end economic sanctions against burma after nearly 20 years. The move follows a meeting at the white house between president obama and burmas defacto leader aung san suu kyi, and the lifting of the sanctions comes as burma has transitioned to civilian rule, after being ruled for more than 50 years by the military. The Obama Administration and burmese human rights activists are continuing to advocate for changes in burmas constitution in order to reduce the militarys power. As well as ensure better treatment for burmas of thing minorities, including the persecuted who are not considered citizens in burma and are effectively stateless. A flotilla bound for gaza has set sail from the spanish port city of barcelona in efforts to break the ongoing israeli blockade. 22 female activists from across the world are aboard the womens boat to gaza. The two boats are also carrying medicine and food. Israel has maintained a blockade of the gaza strip since 2007. Last year, the womens boat to gaza was stopped and seized by the israeli navy. A new report by the United Nations Refugee Agency says more than 3. 5 million refugee children have no school to go to. The agency says the crisis grows more acute as children get older. While half of refugee children are able to attend primary school, only about 20 are able to attend secondary school, and only 1 are able to attend university. In uruguay, a former guantanamo prisoner slipped into a coma on wednesday amid an ongoing Hunger Strike demanding he be allowed to leave uruguay and reunite with his family. Abu wael dhiab was released from guantanamo in 2014, but he was barred from returning home to syria. Instead, he was resettled in uruguay. Earlier this year, he left uruguay in efforts to return home. In july, he was apprehended in venezuela and sent back to uruguay. Now dhiab is on Hunger Strike, demanding he be allowed to reunite with his family. While in onetime oh, he launched a Hunger Strike to demand his freedom. Was among a group of prisoners subjected to forcefeeding. Redacted video released by the u. S. Government last year show guards restraining him and feeding him against his will. Human Rights Groups have long said the forcefeeding of guantanamo prisoners amounts to torture. In new york hundreds of , unionized professors are returning to work at long island campusitys brooklyn nearly two weeks after the administration took the unprecedented step of barring them from campus after their contract expired. As part of the lockout, liu cut off 400 professors email accounts and health insurance, and told them they would be replaced. The lockout sparked a wave of protests by both faculty and students, who arrived for the beginning of the school year to find their classes being taught by administrators with no experience in the fields. On wednesday, the administration agreed to end the lockout, restore faculty Members Health insurance and permit them to , return to their classrooms. Contract negotiations remain ongoing. To see our full coverage of the liu lockout, go to democracynow. Org. In north dakota, another eight people were arrested wednesday after people locked themselves to heavy machinery to stop construction of the 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline, which has faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock sioux tribe and members of hundreds of other tribes from across the United States, canada, and latin america. Wednesdays action took place near almont, north dakota, about 80 miles away from the main protest camps along the cannonball river. This comes only a day after more than 20 people were arrested on also stopping pipeline tuesday, construction around the same area. Dallas goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network said tuesdays and wednesdays actions to the northwest of the river reflect our opposition is not just to the river crossing, but to the very premise of this pipeline. The Morton County Sheriffs Department says it is pursuing felony Reckless Endangerment charges related to wednesdays protest, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The Atlantic Coast conference has announced its moving its sports championship events of out of North Carolina in response to the states decision to pass the antilgbt law known as hb2, or the bathroom bill. The law nullifies ordinances protecting lgbt people from discrimination and prohibits transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity. This comes after the ncaa also announced it was moving its seven championship events of out out of North Carolina for this academic year. Also in North Carolina a unc , Football Player has turned himself in seven months after he was accused of raping a fellow the 19yearold woman, delaney robinson, went public earlier o denounce the way the university treated her and handled the case. She says she was attacked on valentines day night by linebacker allen artis, whom she says pinned her down and raped her. She says she went to the hospital the next morning, and then reported the attack to university administrations, whom she says asked her accusatory questions, including whether she led him on, and how many men she had slept with in her life. She says she later heard the recordings of the administrators questioning of the Football Player. It was a strikingly different manner. The humiliation turned to rage when i watched recorded interview of my rapist by the investigators. Rather than accusing him of anything, they provided reassurances to him. They even laughed with them when he told them how many girls phone numbers he had managed to get on the same night that he raped me. They told him, dont sweat it. Just keep on living your life and keep on playing football. Amy the university of North Carolina Football Player, allen artis, has now been charged with two misdemeanors Sexual Battery and assault on a female. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Nermeen and im nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. It has been three years since National Security Agency Whistleblower Edward Snowden released classified nsa files to Media Outlets that exposed global mass surveillance operations by the u. S. And british governments. He now charged with theft of state secrets and violating the espionage act, for which he faces at least 30 years in prison. He currently lives in political exile in russia. This week snowdens supporters , launched a newall for president obama offer snowden clemency, a plea agreement or a pardon before the end of his term. Today well look at how the new campaign has reignited a debate over what punishment, if any, snowden should face. At the event in new york city on wednesday, the aclu, human rights watch, and Amnesty International called for snowden to be pardoned. This is aclus ben wizner, snowdens attorney. With respect to the question about whether we are applying to the department of justice, respectfully, the constitution assigns this authority to the president , not to a lawyer in the department of justice. And it does so for a reason. Because the pardon power is with essentially a political power. It is about when a president decides their overriding National Reasons not to enforce the law as written. In a runofthemill case, it might make sense to set up her bureaucracy to handle those kinds of requests. I dont think i need to say this is not a runofthemill case. This is one that has serious geopolitical consequences and so this campaign is directed only at one person and that person is the president. Nermeen thats the aclus ben wizner speaking wednesday. On the same day, the guardian published about 20 statements on the case from prominent people, including professors noam chomsky and cornel west, black lives matter activists, and politicians. Among them was former democratic president ial challenger senator Bernie Sanders of vermont, who argued snowden educated the public about how the nsas Mass Surveillance Program violated their constitutional rights. Sanders called for a resolution to the case that acknowledged snowdens troubling revelations should spare him a long prison sentence or permanent exile. Amy the guardian also published comments from those who do not defend snowden. Former nsa director Michael Hayden said snowden should face the full force of the law if he returns to the United States. Former nsa counsel Stewart Baker wrote that snowdens leak caused harm to u. S. National interests. Meanwhile, Edward Snowden himself spoke out on wednesday in a press conference where he and others announced a pardon snowden petition. Snowden spoke via video stream from moscow. While i am grateful for the support given to my case, this really isnt about me. It is about us. It is about our right to dissent. It is about the kind of country we want to have, the kind of world that we want to build. It is about the kind of tomorrow that we want to see. The tomorrow where the public has a say. History reminds us that governments always experience periods in which the powers are abused for different reasons. This is why our founding fathers, in their wisdom, sought to construct a system of checks and balances. Whistleblowers, acting in the Public Interest, often at great risk to themselves, are another check on those abuses of power. Especially, through their collaboration with journalists. Edward co that was snowden. In 2013, while snowdens whereabouts were still undisclosed, donald trump called for snowdens execution during an interview on fox and friends. Mr. Trump neil days, spies were executed. This guy is becoming hero in some circles. I will say with the passage of time, even people that were sort of liking them and maybe trying to go on his side or maybe dropping out, but when you look at where he goes know what he knows where he is. But we have to get him back and we have to get it back fast. It could take years or months, but maybe years. That would be pathetic. This guy is a bad guy. There is still a thing called execution. You have to take a strong you have thousands of people with access to a kind of material like this. Were not whenever country any longer. Amy the new push to pardon Edward Snowden comes as the hollywood version of his story opens in theaters this week. On wednesday, we interviewed snowden director oliver stone and actor joseph gordonlevitt, who played snowden. Today we host a debate about whether snowden should be pardoned. Joini