He has been accused of domestic violence. We will get response from labor ,eader Mary Kay Henry representing over 2 million workers. Then to oakland, california, where mourning continues after at least 36 people were killed in a fire at the ghost ship warehouse. They were amazing, you know . They were amazing. It is the people i didnt know i can even it is mind blowing. It is heartbreaking. Amy we will speak with bay area dj nihar bhatt who survived the fire but lost seven of his friends. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President elect donald trump has picked fast food ceo Andrew Puzder to become the next secretary of labor. Puzder is the head of the company that franchises the fastfood outlets hardees and carls jr. He is a longtime republican donor who has been a vocal critic of raising the minimum wage, the fight for 15 movement, expansion of overtime pay, paid sick leave, and the Affordable Care act. In puzder made 4. 4 million, 2012, nearly 300 times more th the average food worker. Kendall fells of the fight for 15 Campaign Said puzder as labor secretary is like putting Bernie Madoff in charge of the treasury. Puzder has also spoken in favor of having robots replace workers at fast food restaurants. In ainterview with business insider, he said robots are always polite, they always upsell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, theres never a slipandfall, or an age, sex, or race discrimination case. The riverfront times in st. Louis also reports that puzder was accused of abusing his former wife multiple times. In one incident in his former 1986, wife said puzder attacked me, choked me, threw me to the floor, hit me in the head, pushed his knee into my chest, twisted my arm and dragged me on the floor, threw me against a wall, tried to stop my call to 911 and kicked me in the back. Well have more on Andrew Puzder after headlines. Democratic lawmakers say they will try to block the appointment of scott pruitt as head of the Environmental Protection agency. One unnamed epa official has told the Guardian Pruitt could be a unprecedented disaster for the environment and public health. He is seen as a close ally of the fossil fuel industry. In 2014, it was revealed he and other republican attorneys general had formed with the paper described as an unprecedented Secretive Alliance with the top Energy Producers to fight obamas climate effort. Senator Bernie Sanders said pruitts record is not only that of being a Climate Change denier, but also someone who has worked closely with the fossil fuel industry to make this country more dependent, not less, on fossil fuels. To see our interview about. Ruitt, go to democracynow. Org city, a Real Estate Agency has been using Donald Trump Secret Service protection as a new amenity average has the apartments at trump tower. Political reports within a week after Donald Trumps election, Real Estate Agents the Douglas Elliman sent out in gmail with the subject line, fifth avenue buyers interested in secret Service Protection to advertise a 2. 1 million, 1052squarefoot condo in the tower on 721 fifth avenue. In syria, the United Nations is running hundreds of men and boys may have gone missing after leaving rebelheld sections of aleppo and crossing into governmentheld territory amid the Syrian Governments ongoing air and ground offensive to retake the entire city of aleppo. The offensive is seen as a major turning point in the war between antigovernment rebels and the Syrian Government, which began as democratic Popular Uprising in 2011 and has since descended into a devastating civil war. Tens of thousands of civilians have been fleeing rebelheld eastern aleppo in recent days, as the Syrian Government has seized control of at least 75 of the rebels territory. Meanwhile, today is the third anniversary of the kidnapping of prominent syrian human rights lawyer and activist razan zeitouneh. She was abducted with three others december 9, 2013, at the office of the Violations Documentation Center in douma. She was a cofounder of the local coordination committees, and was targeted by both the government and by extremist groups for her activism. Before her abduction, she spoke many times about the 2011 Popular Democratic uprising in syria and denounced the brutal crackdown by syrian president Bashar Alassad against the revolution. This is zeitouneh speaking in december of 2011. Started this year daily protests. It is not organized, actually. They have just finished their school and go daily after the school. Beatenve been arrested, in every harsh way. What is remarkable is more and protest is taking place daily, which is very important because until this moment, they were not that involved in the movement in general. Amy how is bush are alassad maintaining his power and what about the lack of western media in syria being able to really show the pictures of what is going on . Killing. Y violence against its own people, only to remain in power. Amy a new report by Amnesty International says an estimated 500,000 people have been forced from their homes amid a brutal government crackdown in majority kurdish regions in turkeys southeast. The report warns the widespread displacement and demolition of homes over the last year may amount to collective punishment, which is a war crime under the geneva conventions. This comes amidst a widening crackdown across turkey against kurds and prokurdish activists, lawmakers, and journalist. In november, the turkish government fire 10,000 civil servants, ordered 15 mostly kurdish news outlets to shut down, and attain a dozen journalists from the onrdwinning newspaper terrorism charges. Also in november, turkish authorities arrested two leaders and at least 10 other lawmakers from the prokurdish Peoples Democratic party, the thirdlargest party in the turkish parliament. South koreas parliament has voted overwhelmingly to impeach President Park amid an ongoing corruption scandal. Shes faced widespread protests, including a demonstration in november when as many as 1 Million People took to the streets of seoul to demand her resignation over claims she helped a close friend embezzle up to 70 million. Protesters celebrated the news of her impeachment. I was hoping parliament would pass the impeachment bill. I think this shows the public sentiment is accepted and it works out that way. I feel proud im at the center of this historic moment and i hope the new government will reflect the will of the people when it comes to the Government Affairs not to let this happen again. Amy there has been speculation ban kimoon may become the next president of south korea. In egypt, human Rights Groups are denouncing the arrest of prominent egyptian feminist azza soliman, the founder of the centre for egyptian womens legal assistance. Last week she was prevented from leaving egypt at cairos airport. Then on she was detained for wednesday, unknown reasons by police at her home. Her arrest is part of an ongoing government crackdown against activists and journalists. Scientists say giraffes are at risk of extinction. The number of giraffes worldwide has declined nearly 40 over the last 30 years. The International Union for the conservation of nature warns the species is facing a silent extinction. Their decline is part of an ongoing global mass extinction that scientists warn could lead to the disappearance of twothirds of all wild animals on the planet by 2020. In paris, authorities have made a Public Transportation free for the Third Straight day today in efforts to combat the worst winter air pollution in paris in a decade. Officials have also banned some cars from driving in efforts to limit emissions. These are two parisians. I try not to be in the street and to walk too much. I decided to turn to public transport, such as the bus. I have never been to affected by the pollution until now. When others felt it, i didnt. For the past few days, ive had an unusual dry cough that i cannot explain. Amy back in the united states, the number of People Killed by police and other Law Enforcement agents this year has topped 1000. Thats according to an Ongoing Investigation by the guardian called the counted, which relies on local news stories and databases to track every Single Police killing in the u. S. The vast majority more than 900 people have been killed by police fire, although at least 20 have died after being tased by police, while 30 more have died in police custody. The three youngest victims of Law Enforcement agents this year were 10yearold nathan roman, who was killed by his father, a police officer, who fatally shot both his son and his wife with his service gun in new york state. 12yearold ciara meyers, shot dead by a Pennsylvania State constable serving an eviction order against her family. And 13yearold tyre king, shot dead while running away, after officers allegedly mistook the boys bb gun for a real gun. In a split vote thursday night, the Supreme Court ruled not to halt the execution of ronald smith who was convicted of killing a Convenience Store clerk. His execution comes after the jury in the case had recommended a life sentence but a judge imposed capital punishment. In north dakota, police have arrested a man who was caught on camera monday threatening water protectors fighting the 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. 33yearold jesse mclain of bismarck is facing two counts of terrorizing after he and another man, both with their faces covered, surrounded a water protectors car at the ramada inn and began threatening them while preventing the car from leaving. This is a clip of the video shot by Standing Rock sioux tribe member dean dedman jr. , also known as shiye bidziil, which has been viewed more than one million times. Just go. Though. Turn your phone on. Turnaround. Go home these north dakota people are going to [bleep] you up. Just go. I cant, theyre blocking me. Amy meanwhile, two other indigenous media makers were attacked last night by snowmobilers and a truck which try to run their call car off the road. Video they shot from the car shows the three men driving down along icy stretch of road when these to mobile are secured just werent in front of their car and yelled a string of expletives at them. Water protectors say this is part of it will escalating wave. F harassment by white in cameroon, police have killed four antigovernment demonstrators amid ongoing protests that began a month ago when teachers and lawyers demanded better working conditions. Reuters reports the police initially tried to disperse thursdays protest using tear gas, and then began to shoot live ammunition into the crowd, killing at least 4. And saturday is human rights day, observed each year on the anniversary of december 10, 1948, when the u. N. General assembly adopted the universal declaration of human rights. In the philippines, family members of those who have died in extrajudicial killings amid president Rodrigo Dutertes escalating socalled war on drugs appealed for justice ahead of saturdays commemoration. Police have killed at least 2000 people and vigilantes have killed at least 3500 more sense duterte took office this summer. Tens of thousands more have been arrested or turned themselves over to police out of fear they would be killed. Human Rights Groups say many of those killed have been summarily shot and had nothing to do with the drug trade. A recent buzz feet investigation revealed the u. S. State department is continue to send planes of dollars in aid as well as training and equipment to the Philippine National police amidst the way the killings. This is the mother of an 18yearold the them of the extrajudicial killings. We are poor. They will not listen to us. It is pitiful of the poor killed because no matter how hard we try to explain, they will not listen to us. They judge has because we are poor. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and in oakland, california, the mourning continues over the death of at least 36 people who were killed in a fire at the ghost ship warehouse one week ago. The fire is one of the deadliest building fires in the last half century in the united states. The ghost ship was an artist collective that housed many Young Artists and musicians in the victims who were overwhelmingly Young Artists and committed the art of us does committed he activists. It is set. I knew two people. I am sad, but im more concerned about their family and their wellbeing. More than that, ive lost two friends. Amy the ghost ship warehouse was reportedly rife with fire hazards. Its landlord had a history of owning properties with building violations. Many local oakland artists and tenants, rightist, activists a it is a symptom of a field or heaven housing or rising rents have forced people to make art in sometimes hazardous spaces. In the wake of the fire, the oakland mayor has pledged 1. 7 million to create and sustain affordable safe spaces for local artists and arts organizations. For more we go directly to oakland, california where were joined by nihar bhatt, a bay area dj and record label owner who survived the ghost ship warehouse fire. Seven of his friends died that night. Nihar, welcome to democracy now our deepest condolences for your loss. Can you describe what happened that night . Thank you for having me on. Which wasof the fire, last friday i cant believe it was only a week. It feels like a lifetime. I was going to the event. A good event to support the number of friends that were performing that night. I got out of the car, walked over to the building where the event was happening. Out front a saw a couple of my friends. They started chatting with them. It was two friends in particular. One of them when inside midway through our conversation, a couple of minutes later. He never came out of the building. The other friend i was chatting with, we hung back, chatted for a little bit, and then suddenly we heard the fire the words fire. Eople started pouring out we could not believe what we heard. We immediately thought, what can we do . We were we were about to enter the building. Before we could even formulate our thought on that question, the entire building filled up with just plumes of smoke starting to waft out of the building. We realized it was no way we could enter. We had no idea what was going on. We waited outside of the building for hours. Realizing that no one was coming out. I just lot of time dreaming of our friends emerging in some way. The fact is, the building it was not possible to enter the building. Very quickly, this entire incident happened. Us couldhink any of have imagined a fire taking completely consuming the smoke is something that none of us could have anticipated it would be that deadly that quickly. It happen and waited outside, realizing that a lot of people we knew in my case seven people i knew well, people that were important to me were inside. Basically, we waited and waited to see if there were something we did not know. The simple truth was they were never coming out. Amy can you describe the ghost ship, what this space represents for the community, for artists . Sure. The ghost ship is just one of the few places left where the community for my community, one of the few sort of underground techno, external music scene, was one of the few places that was open to us to do longs, events that had a timeline and could go very late into the night. Where we could go outside of the typical bar and club scene, that that type of event sort of usually often takes place in. Which is really important because, you know, in bars and clubs, the imperative is to sell alcohol. Whether good people working in a bar or club or not, the reality is sell you have to do as many drugs as possible. That creates a certain dynamic around the space. It means the people that are to shape events in that the people with the biggest pockets. At a space like the ghost ship amy why do they call it the ghost ship . Im not entirely sure where that name came from. One thing about the space is that it was it was a space that our community rented for events. Most of the people the people that lived there were not involved with the organization of the event. A there were some people that it was reminiscent of that field. It was a large ship at one point suspended in think that was part of the aesthetic. Amy several residents and friends say the fire highlighted the longstanding issue of the lack of Affordable Properties in the bay area. This is berkeley mayor jesse arreguin. This is a symptom of the broader housing justification crisis affecting the entire bay area where artist are being pushed out of cities and pushed into oftentimes dangerous situations. We need to do more to create more affordable and safe space for artists to live and work in our community. Amy nihar bhatt, your respons