Prominent immigrant rights activists, including a member of the state attorney generals Immigration Task force. When i was detained, they stood up for me in the mobilized the community to fight for my freedom. And i was freed. So now i am here to fight for of these men because they deserve their freedom, too. Amy and recent spike in casualties in u. S. Airstrikes abroad and nearly 49. In syria with the u. S. Struck a mosque and iraq u. S. Air sex continue in mosul. Often coast of yemen, saudi arabia is accused of using a u. S. Apache helicopter to kill refugees on a boat. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Confirmation hearings begin today for neil gorsuch, President Trumps pick to replace the late Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. If confirmed by the senate, gorsuch would give conservatives a narrow 54 conservative majority on the court. As a judge on the tenth circuit, gorsuch ruled in favor of hobby lobby in the case deciding whether the company could refuse to provide Birth Control coverage to employees as required by obamacare. Judge gorsuch also has a long history of ruling against employees in cases involving federal race, sex, age, disability and political , discrimination and retaliation claims. Neil gorsuch is a member of the Federalist Society and has close ties to conservative colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz who owns the Weekly Standard and the washington examiner. And judge gorsuch comes from a deeply conservative family. His mother, anne gorsuch burford, briefly served as president reagans epa administrator where she slashed staff and eviscerated antipollution regulations before resigning amidst scandal. We will have more on judge gorsuch after headlines. Fbi director james comey is set to go before the House Intelligence Committee today, where he will face questioning about President Trumps unsubstantiated claims that president obama tapped his phones at trump tower during the 2016 election. President trump has continued to stand by the unsubstantiated claims including while meeting , with german chancellor Angela Merkel friday. Trump joked he and merkel had something in common regarding wiretapping a reference to reports the nsa was monitoring merkels phones during obamas presidency. We have ap tremendous group of people that around the i can get media when the media does not have the truth. So i like that. As far as wiretapping, i guess, you know, this past a administration at least we have something in common, perhaps. Amy both top u. S. Lawmakers and british officials have rejected trumps wiretapping claims. That president obama tapped his phones at trump tower in new york. The former British Ambassador to washington has accused trump of peddling falsehoods by claiming that it was British Intelligence agency which helped carry out the alleged wiretap. During fbi director james comeys testimony to the House Intelligence Committee today, he will also face questioning about russias alleged interference in the 2016 president ial race. A new reuters investigation reveals dozens of Russian Elites have invested nearly 100 million in seven trumpbranded luxury buildings in florida. Meanwhile, germanys defense minister has rejected President Trumps claim that germany owes nato money. In hawaii, a federal judge has rejected the Justice Departments request to narrow the injunction which halted , trumps executive order temporarily banning refugees and people from six majority muslim nations from entering the United States. U. S. District court judge derrick watsons temporary restraining order blocked trumps ban only hours before it was set to take effect last thursday. The former Greenville Police chief hassan aden says he was detained for over an hour by customs and Border Protection agents when he was flying into new york citys jfk airport after returning from visiting his mother in paris. In a facebook post, hassan wrote that he was a u. S. Citizen and had worked in Law Enforcement in the u. S. For nearly 30 years. He wrote that after his detention this country now feels cold, unwelcoming, and in the beginning stages of a country that is isolating itself from the rest of the world and its own people in an unprecedented fashion. He was the police chief of greenville, North Carolina. President trump has reportedly tapped Kellyanne Conways husband, George Conway, to head the Civil Division of the Justice Department. If confirmed, George Conway would head the department of government lawyers charged with defending key lawsuits, including those against trumps embattled travel ban, those alleging trumps business interests violate the constitutions emoluments clause. George conway has worked as a corporate lawyer for nearly three decades, during which time he represented corporate clients such as cigatte company Philip Morris and the National Football league. Kellyanne conway told new York Magazine that, despite her antiabortion views, shes sympathetic to women who get abortions, and has helped female friends by driving them to the procedures and helping them pay for the abortions. Conway spoke at the antiabortion march for life in washington, d. C. , in january. Meanwhile, the 24yearold pundit tomi lahren has admitted she is prochoice, saying i am for limited government, so stay out of my guns and you can stay out of my body. Education secretary betsy devos has hired forprofit college official robert eitel. He previously served as a chief Compliance Officer for Bridgepoint Education inc. , an operator of forprofit colleges, which is facing multiple government investigations over deceptive lending. Meanwhile, Trumps Administration has revoked guidelines that prohibited student debt collectors from charging exorbitant fees on pastdue loans. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson wrapped up his first visit to asia with a trip to beijing on sunday, where he warned regional tensions with north korea had reached dangerous levels. On saturday, north korea tested a highthrust rocket engine, the latest in a series of rocket and missile tests north korea has carried out in recent weeks. During Tillersons Asia trip, he also suggested the u. S. May make a preemptive strike against north korea. While on President Trump tweeted friday, 42 Somali Refugees were killed when they were gunned down by a helicopter gunship near the yemeni coast late on thursday. Somalia accused saudi arabia of carrying out the strike. Eyewitness accounts suggest a u. S. Made Apache Helicopter was used to carry out the deadly strike. Meanwhile, the death toll from an airstrike on a mosque in syria has risen to at least 49 people. That is according to the u. K. Based syrian observatory for human rights. The u. S. Has admitted to carrying out an airstrike on the syrian village of aljina, the pentagon denies having hit the mosque. The journalistic project airwars is reporting the number of civilian casualties in u. S. Air strikes has been escalating since Donald Trump Took Office two months ago today. Well have more on the deadly strikes later in the broadcast. Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas awarded former u. N. Official rima khalaf palestines medal of the highest honor after khalafs resigned rather than bow to pressure to withdraw a u. N. Report accusing israel of imposing an Apartheid Regime on the palestinians. This is former executive secretary of the yuan economic and social commission for western asia rima khalaf. , it was to be expected that israel and its allies would put enormous pressure on the United Nations secretarygeneral to renounce the report, and he gave me instructions to renounce it. I asked him to review his stance, but he insisted. So i said bit of my resignation to him. The crimes that they continued to commit amount to war crimes against humanity. Amy her resignation came the same day as soldiers opened fire on a group of palestinian teenagers in a refugee camp in the israelioccupied west bank, killing 16yearold Murad Yusif Abu ghaz. On saturday, Israeli Soldiers fired rubbercoated steel bullets at a group of mourners, following the boys burial. To see our full interview with richard falk, who coauthored the u. N. Report accusing israel of imposing an Apartheid Regime, you can go to democracynow. Org in france, thousands of people rallied in paris sunday to protest police brutality. The march demanded justice for a 22yearold black man who was allegedly raped with a police baton by an officer after being arrested in february. The man, who is known as only theo was hospitalized for two weeks related to the injuries sustained in police custody. One Police Officer has been charged with rape, and three more have been accused of assault. In peru, more than 70 people have died amid the countrys worst flooding in more than 30 years. Hundreds of cities across peru have declared states of emergency. The intense rainfall has been linked to abnormally higher ocean temperatures, which are in turn linked to climate change. In japan, activist Hiroji Yamashiro has been released on bail after he spent five months imprisoned on charges he cut through a barbed wire fence surrounding a u. S. Base. For decades, residents have called for the expulsion of u. S. Troops from okinawa, which houses about twothirds of the 50,000 u. S. Troops currently stationed in japan. In the philippines, a lawmaker has filed an impeachment complaint against president Rodrigo Duterte over the thousands of extrajudicial police and vigilante killings carried out under dutertes socalled war on drugs. He is also facing threats of a criminal case before the International Criminal court over accusations he oversaw death squads when he was mayor of davao. Back in the United States in miamidade, florida, prosecutors have announced they will not againstiminal charges four Prison Guards over the death of 50yearold darren rainey, a schizophrenic prisoner who died after the guards locked him in a shower stall and exposed him to 180degree scalding water. When his body was found two hours later, he had burns covering 90 of his body. To see our full interview with on darren rainey, go to democracynow. Org. Oil could start flowing through the highly contested 3. 8 billion Dakota Access pipeline as early as today. On saturday, an Appeals Court rejected the Standing Rock sioux and Cheyenne River nations request for an emergency injunction to stop the pipeline from becoming operational. Meanwhile, the university of californias chief Investment Officer has announced the University System is taking steps to divest from two companies behind the Pipeline Energy transfer partners and sunoco logistics. And legendary new york city journalist Jimmy Breslin has died at the age of 88. Breslin won a Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his columns, which the Committee Said consistently champion ordinary citizens. In 2004, democracy now spoke with Jimmy Breslin at the dnc about actions in the lead up to the iraq war. [indiscernible] they cant write too good. 47 words and a lead sentence and the public to follow and read. They do 47. The term want papers before this. Amy Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Jimmy Breslin. He died sunday at his home in manhattan. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan and im juan gonzalez. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Confirmation hearings begin today for neil gorsuch, President Trumps pick to replace the late justice Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court. There has been a vacant seat on the court for over a year following scalias death on february 13, 2016. President obama nominated Merrick Garland to replace scalia, but republicans refused to even hold hearings fearing that garland would tip the ideological balance of the court to the left. Once Donald Trump Took Office he quickly moved to nominate gorsuch, a 49yearold federal judge on the tenth circuit with deep ties to the conservative movent. If confirmed by the senate, gorsuch would give conservatives a narrow 54 conservative majority on the court. When he was first nominated, he praised Antonin Scalia a Justice Scalia was the line of the law. Agree or disagree with him, all of his colleagues on the bench chairs his wisdom and his humor. And like them, i miss him. Amy as a judge on the tenth circuit, gorsuch ruled in favor of hobby lobby in the case deciding whether the company should could refuse to provide Birth Control coverage to employees as required by obamacare. Judge gorsuch also has a long history of ruling against employees in cases involving federal race, sex, age, disability and political , discrimination and retaliation claims. Gorsuch is a member of the Federalist Society and has close ties to conservative colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz who owns the Weekly Standard and the washington examiner. Gorsuch also comes from a deeply conservative family. His mother, anne gorsuch burford, briefly served as president reagans epa administrator, where she slashed staff and eviscerated antipollution regulations before resigning amidst scandal. We begin our coverage of george best search judge gorsuch with fordham law professor Zephyr Teachout who recently ran for a congressional seat in upstate new york. Her recent piece for the Washington Post is headlined neil gorsuch sides with big , business, big donors and big bosses. Zephyr teachout, explain. Look, all of us are going to be part of sort of unearthing all of Neil Gorsuchs opinions, but import parts to look at our where he expresses his philosophy. And what he is done in antitrust cases and also in one money and politics case is show he is going to be at least as bad as scalia, and we cant forget how bad scalia was, and possibly worse in favoring elite favoring Corporate Power and favoring the power of big donors. So there are two to antitrust cases that are really important to look at. I know antitrust consume like this arcane area, but if you look around the world right now im a look around america, you see this incredible concentration of power in office supplies, with amazon, with monsanto, comcast, and oil and gas, you see this incredible concentration. A lot of that comes from Justice Scalia and other people in the believing that we should got antitrust and basically allow the novelists together power. Monopolists together our. He shows he is with the chicago school. In fact, suggested he might go further saying, well, one of the reasons people go into business capacity to get not only to rent, so we dont want to discourage people from going into business. Instead of understanding is the true liens of our democratic past understood, that antitrust law was really critical for challenging excessive concentrations of power. Juan if you could talk about judge gorsuchs interest in natural law and what that might mean about his position on marriage equality. This is an important area for the senators to ask about this week. In his dissertation, not that long ago, 2004, george judge gorsuch shows he is skeptical of the idea that theonstitution prects the intimate decisions that people make in the privacy of their own home. Theres a long, long line of cases that respect and understand theres constitutional protection