We will look at trumps false claims that millions of people illegally voted in the election, helping Hillary Clinton when the popular vote. What you have presented so far has been debunked. Pres. Trump look at the pew reports. I call the author and he told me they found no evidence amy while no evidence of mass footer fraud has been found, public records shows several members of trumps inner circle and family are registered to. Ote in more than one state the list includes steve bannon, jared kushner, sean spicer, his daughter tiffany trump, and Steve Mnuchin. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The planet is closer to a catastrophic disaster than at any time since 1953. Thats according to the scientists behind the doomsday clock, a symbolic timekeeper that tracks the likelihood of nuclear war and other existential threats. On thursday, the scientists moved the clocks minute hand 30 seconds closer to midnight. The hour now sits at 2. 5 minutes before doomsday. This is Rachel Bronson of the bulletin of atomic scientists. Perhaps most troubling has been to concerns that are adding to an already challenging global landscape. Cavalier has been the and reckless language used across the globe, especially in the United States during the president ial election and after, around Nuclear Weapons and nuclear threats. And the second is a growing disregard of scientific expertise. Expertise that is needed when it comes to responding to pressing global challenges, including climate change. There is a troubling propensity to discount or outright reject expert advice related to interNational Security, including the conclusions of intelligence experts. Amy scientists are planning for a major march on washington, called the march for science on d. C. The idea came after millions of people rallied in d. C. And in cities across the world last saturday for the womens march on washington to protest the inauguration of donald trump. Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto has canceled a meeting with President Trump that was scheduled for next week as tensions between the two countries rise. The move came after trump announced plans wednesday to expand the border wall between the u. S. And mexico, a wall trump has repeatedly said he would force mexico to pay for. On thursday, mexicos top diplomat was at the white house to help pave the way for the visit when his team received word of a trump tweet suggesting that if mexico were not willing to build the wall, it should cancel the trip. Trump claims the two leaders mutually canceled the upcoming meeting a statement pena nieto has refuted. This is former mexican president vincente fox. It is stupid. It is crazy. Imagine him going to congress and saying to the American Congress to authorize a budget come to lend money to build a useless wall a wall that is complete waste of money and which is useless. And he tells congress not to worry, i will get mexico to replace the money. Mexico will pay for it. Well, trump, here you go. Amy on thursday, White House PressSecretary Sean Spicer said the u. S. Would impose a 20 tax on all goods imported from mexico and use the proceeds to pay for the expanded wall. That the u. S. Would build. But after widespread outrage at the plan, spicer walked back his statements only hours later, saying the import tax was just one idea. Well go to mexico city for more on the u. S. And mexico standoff later in the broadcast. Donald trump is making his First Official visit to the pentagon as president today. The New York Times reports the white house has drafted a president ial directive instructing defense secretary James Mad Dog Mattis to ramp up u. S. Military action against isis. The military action could include u. S. Army helicopters and ground artillery in syria. In hits first in his televised interview as first president , trump also openly embraced torture, including waterboarding, saying torture absolutely works. Trumps comments sparked immediate criticism, including from International Human rights experts and lawyers. This is Ian Seiderman with the International Commission of jurists. This is almost unprecedented. We just came through many years of cleaning up the mess in this area that was made by previous u. S. Administration under president bush. But even the bush and administration, while it engaged in torture and has been well documented, was very careful not to publicly condone torture. In fact, and a number of cases, president bush himself as well as a number of officials condemned torture. They understood it was criminal activity. They saw it as something embarrassing and to be covered up. Amy on thursday, top ranking republicans, including House Speaker paul ryan, Senate Majority leader mitch mcconnell, and Senate Armed ServicesCommittee Chair john mccain, signaled Congressional Republicans would not change the laws on the use of torture. Ryan said torture is illegal. We agree with it not being legal. British Prime Minister theresa may also indicated that britain may stop sharing intelligence with the cia following trumps endorsement of torture, saying we condemn torture and my view on that wont change. May and trump are scheduled to meet for about an hour today in the oval office, marking the first visit by foreign leader to the white house since donald trump took office. Prime and is to may, House Speaker paul ryan, and other Top Republicans were all speaking out against torture from the republicans annual threeday retreat in philadelphia, which trump also attended thursday. More than 5000 people took to the streets of philadelphia thursday to protest trumps visit to the city and to denounce republican policies, including the efforts to repeal the Affordable Care act. Trumps First Executive order, signed only hours after his inauguration, made the prompt repeal of obamacare the administrations top priority. The administration has already pulled ads for the 2017 enrollment season of obamacare off the air, including the ads that were already paid for. The deadline to sign up for new plans is january 31. The entire state departments senior Level Management was ousted by the Trump Administration. The news wrote thursday, sparking widespread concern. Former state department chief of staff david wade told the Washington Post its the single biggest simultaneous departure of institutional memory that anyone can remember, and thats incredibly difficult to replicate. Trump is continuing to call for a Major Investigation into voter fraud as he stands by his lies about the 2016 election, despite the fact that his claims have been widely debunked by experts. Trump is falsely claiming that he lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton because 3 million to 5 million unauthorized voters participated in the election. This is trump speaking in his first televised interview as president , with abcs david muir. When you say, in your opinion villains of illegal votes, that is something that is its truly fundamental to our functioning democracy affair a preelection. You say youre going to launch an investigation. Pres. Trump sure. What you presented so far has been debunked. Pres. Trump take a look at the pew reports. I call the author in he tell me they found no evidence. Pres. Trump then why did he write amy while experts have found no evidence to support trumps lies about widespread voter fraud by unauthorized immigrants, they have found at least five examples of voter fraud from trumps family members or inner circle. The Washington Post reports trumps soninlaw and close white house adviser jared kushner, trumps daughter tiffany trump, trumps chief strategist steven bannon, White House PressSecretary Sean Spicer, and treasury secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin were all registered to vote in two different states something that trump has claimed is evidence of voter fraud. Well have more on trumps voter fraud claims later in the broadcast. The Trump Administrations war on the media escalated thursday, when trumps chief strategist steve bannon called the media the Opposition Party. In a New York Times article published thursday, bannon said the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut. Bannon is the former head of the rightwing breitbart media, which frequently publishes racist, sexist, antiimmigrant, and xenophobic news. Well have more on trumps war on the media after headlines. The Trump Administration has announced plans to publish a weekly list of crimes committed by unauthorized immigrants living in socalled sanctuary cities, where local officials and Law Enforcement are refusing to comply with federal immigration authorities efforts to speed up deportations. The plans for the weekly list, to be published by the Homeland Security department, were included in trumps executive orders that were signed on wednesday. Author andrea pitzer, who is currently writing a book on nazi concentration camps, points out trumps proposed list recalls a nazi germanyera policy by which the nazi institute for research on the jewish question kept files on crimes committed by jews. The list is part of trumps attack on sanctuary cities, which also includes threats to cut their federal funding. Mayors of sanctuary cities nationwide have vowed to resist trumps attacks. But Miamidade County mayor Carlos Gimenez has already announced the county will drop its sanctuary city status and comply with trumps executive order. In texas, governor gregg abbott says he will cut state grants to austin, a sanctuary city, and has vowed austin sheriff Sally Hernandez will lose her job unless she forces local police to begin cooperating with federal immigration agents in order to speed deportations. President trump is expected to sign more executive orders cracking down on immigration in the coming days, including one that would temporarily ban refugees from resettling in the u. S. And block all visas from being issued to anyone from syria, iraq, iran, libya, somalia, sudan, and yemen. The department of Homeland Security has already halted trips to interview refugees abroad. The interviews are an essential part of refugee admission and resettlement. The anticipated crackdown is sparking widespread protest in the u. S. And abroad. On thursday, oscar nominated iranian actress Taraneh Alidoosti said she is boycotting the Academy Awards ceremony over trumps proposed visa ban, calling it racist. The Washington Post reports trump personally pressured the head of the National Park service to find and provide photographs of the Inauguration Day crowds on the National Mall in efforts to counter news reports about the inauguration s low turnout. Trump and White House PressSecretary Sean Spicer have repeatedly lied about the crowds size, saying more people showed up to trumps inauguration than any other in u. S. History, which history. In fact, hundreds of thousands showed up compared to 1. 8 million who attended obamas inauguration in 2009. Trump reportedly also told ahead of the park service he was angry the Services Twitter had retweeted a photograph showing a sidebyside comparison of photos from Trump Inauguration and obamas inauguration in 2009. In africa, the gambian President Adama Barrow arrived back in gambia on thursday following the departure of longtime leader yahya jammeh, who had initially refused to step down. Barrows supporters lined the streets to celebrate his return from senegal, where hed fled and held his inauguration last week in the Gambian Embassy in senegals capital. This is one of barrows supporters. Today,re very happy adama ng the president barrow. Today is the happiest day. We are here to enjoy. Him andreparing for welcoming him. Amy hundreds of people on hawaii say they will protest against Facebook Ceo Mark Zuckerberg this weekend over his filing of lawsuits to force hundreds of residents including , native families, off their land in order to make his hawaiian beachfront property as private as possible. Native hawaiian professor kapua sproat of the university of hawaii said this is the face of neocolonialism. Zuckerberg now says hes reconsidering the lawsuits. Vice president mike pence will speak today on an antiabortion rally on the National Mall called the march for life. It will mark the first time in 44 years that a sitting Vice President will address the crowd, which i gathered each year since the 1974 roe v wade decision legalizing abortion. Is wellknown for his antiabortion views. His speech comes only days after Trumps Administration reinstated the global gag order, which bans u. S. Funding for any International Health care group that performs abortion, advocates for the legalization of abortion, or even mentions the word abortion. In ohio, federal judge has ruled ohios new lethal injection process is unconstitutional host of the really concerns the use of a sedative which has been linked to botched executions in alabama and other states. Thursdays ruling delays three scheduled executions in ohio. Also in ohio, Bresha Meadows, a 15 euro girl who allegedly killed her abusive father, has been transferred to an adolescent Treatment Facility after spending 170 five days in a juvenile jail. Jonathan meadows, her father, reportedly made life for his family a living hell, routinely attacking his wife, breaking her ribs, fracturing her blood vessels threedrug method to see our full coverage of Bresha Meadows case, go to democracynow. Org. And George Orwells 1984 has become a bestseller in the days after donald trump took office. Penguin, the publisher, reports a 9500 sales increase since last friday, the day of trumps inauguration. The classic dystopian work introduced the world to the terms big brother, thought police, newspeak, and doublethink words that many are finding have new meaning under the Trump Administration. To hear a reading of 1984, go to democracynow. Org. And those are some of the headlines this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The battle between donald trump and the press escalated thursday after one of trumps top advisers called the media the Opposition Party. In a rare interview with the New York Times, trumps chief strategist steve bannon said the media should be embarrassed and humiliated and keep its mouth shut and just listen for a while. Bannon added i want you to quote this. The media here is the Opposition Party. They dont understand this country. They still do not understand why donald trump is the president of the United States. Bannon is the former head of rightwing breitbart media, which frequently publishes racist, sexist, antiimmigrant, and xena phobic news. While he rarely speaks to the media, he is planning a key role in the new administration. According to reports, bannon wrote part of trumps and our penned hisand executive orders on every thing from expanding the border wall between the u. S. And mexico to weakening the Affordable Care act. He also recently capped the National Security editor sebastian gorka, and immigration reporter, to join the Trump Administration. Meanwhile, the president himself was interviewed by fox news sean hannity last night and described much of the media as fake news. Pres. Trump much of the media not all of it is very, very dishonest. Honestly, it is fake news. They make things up. Between twitter, instagram, facebook, i think you have reached 50 Million People. We know now from wikileaks, some of these networks we