Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20170324 : vimarsana.com

Confirmation of neil gorsuch is a prim court, we will look at the judge possible in a case known as the frozen trucker. Alphonse maddin was fired after he abandoned the truck he was driving because he was on the verge of freezing to death. It is absurd to say this company is in its rights to fire choiceause he made the of possibly dying from freezing to death or causing other people to die possibly by driving an unsafe vehicle. That is absurd. Amy well play excerpts from senator al franken grilling judge gorsach about the case during his Senate Confirmation hearings, and well speak with the labor lawyer who represented maddin. Then to florida. Currently, do have discretion to pursue deaths sentences. I have determined doing so is not in the best interest of this community or the best interest of justice. Amy aramis ayala, the first African American state attorney in florida history, has received Death Threats since she announced she will not pursue capital punishment, even in the case of a man killing a Police Officer. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. It is a showdown on capitol hill today. House Republican Leaders called off a vote thursday on a bill to overhaul the u. S. Health care system after failing to win enough support from their partys ranks to overcome democratic opposition. The delay prompted President Trump to issue an ultimatum hold a vote friday or lose the opportunity to repeal the Affordable Care act. Republican House Speaker paul ryan emerged from thursday night talks with obstinate lawmakers, telling reporters in a terse statement hed comply with trumps call for a friday vote. 7. 5 years, we have been promising the American People that we will repeal and replace this broken law because it is collapsing and failing families will start tomorrow we are proceeding. Amy House Speaker ryan exited without answering questions about whether he believed fridays vote would succeed. At the white house, President Trump gathered members of the rightwing Freedom Caucus for negotiations, promising to roll back requirements that Health Insurers cover basic services, including Mental Health, mammograms, maternity, and newborn care. The meeting was attended exclusively by men, prompting ridicule from democrats, including washington senator patty murray, who tweeted a photo of the event with the caption, a rare look inside the gops Womens Health caucus. Its unclear whether the bill has the votes needed to pass todays vote. More than 30 House Republicans have threatened a no vote, and the bills supporters cant afford more than 21 republican defections. Outside the white house thursday, protesters opposed to the Republican Healthcare bill defied a police order to vacate a sidewalk and were arrested. 24 people are getting arrested today and they represent the 24 million americans that will Lose Health Insurance if the aca is repealed. We want to make sure health care is not taken away from 24 Million People and that it is not that the new Health Care Plan does not act as a tax benefit for the rich and forget the poor again. To make health care ,ffordable to low income people our senior citizens, and make the medication of affordable for poor people. That is why we are here. Amy the protest came as the Congressional Budget Office released its estimate of the impact of the revised Republican Health plan, finding it would still add 24 Million People to the ranks of the uninsured, while reducing the deficit by just 150 billion over 10 years. That is down from about a third and20 and dollars 120 deficit reduction in the dollars original plan. House democrats pushed thursday for an independent probe into alleged ties between top Trump Officials and russias government, saying House Intelligence Committee chair and former Trump Transition Team member devin nunes cant be trusted to lead an investigation. California Congress Member adam schiff, the ranking democrat on the intelligence committee, told cnn thursday hes uncovered further evidence that Trump Officials may have actively colluded with russian officials. The kind of evidence that you would submit to a grand jury at the beginning of an investigation. It is not what you take to trial jury were trying to prove something beyond a reasonable doubt. We are the beginning of the investigation. And given the gravity of the subject matter, i think the evidence warns us doing a thorough investigation. Amy congressman schiffs charges came after House Intelligence Committee chair nunes apologized to his colleagues for his actions wednesday when he traveled to the white house to personally brief President Trump on allegations that hes uncovered evidence that u. S. Intelligence swept up communications by trumps Transition Team after the november election. The apology took place behind closed doors and didnt satisfy democrats, who questioned whether nunes revealed classified information to the president whos the subject of an fbi investigation. On thursday, democratic Congress Member Elijah Cummings of maryland said on cnn nunes himself should be investigated. What he did was basically to go to the president , who is being investigated by the fbi and others and by the intelligence committee, to give them information give him information. Basically, he has scuttled and put a cloud over his own investigation. And he has become the subject, basically, he should be, of an investigation post of amy it is not only democrats who are resizing nunes. Arizona republican senator john mccain blasted the actions of representative nunes, saying thursday he wants a Congressional Select Committee or independent commission to take over the investigation into alleged ties between russia and the trump campaign. The senates top democrat said thursday his party is prepared to block the nomination of neil gorsuch to the Supreme Court by filibuster. The move by minority leader Chuck Schumer sets up a confrontation with senate republicans, whove threatened to invoke the socalled Nuclear Option to push through gorsuchs confirmation. The move would change senate rules to allow confirmation with a bare majority of senators, rather than the 60 now needed to overcome delaying tactics. We will have more on judge gorsuch after the headlines. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson tighten dramatically rules on issuing u. S. Visas. In diplomatic cables lastly, the state department ordered u. S. Embassies to ask detailed questions to bes applicants about their personal history. The rules also require a check of phone and email contacts as well as the social media history of anyone who is traveled in a country where isis controls territory. The restrictions will not apply to most European Countries or australian, new zealand, japan. In a white the fbi says its , investigating Death Threats directed at u. S. District judge derrick watson, the judge who ruled against trumps ban on travelers from six majority nations and refugees. Cbs reported most of the threats were phoned in from the mainland. Spanishediterranean, a charity said thursday at least 240 migrants are feared dead after their boats capsized off the coast of libya. Members of the group said they pulled at least five bodies from the sea without finding any survivors. The disaster came amid a sharp spike in the number of migrants and refugees attempting the dangerous voyage from libya to italy. Aid groups say the increase followed last years agreement by greece and turkey to effectively seal the two countries border to migrants. In britain, police have identified the man responsible for wednesdays violent rampage outside parliament as khalid masood, a british citizen with an extensive record of violent crimes. Investigators say the 52yearold changed his name from Adrian Russell ajao after he converted to islam in prison. In a statement posted online, isis hailed the killer as a soldier of the islamic state, but did not cite masood by name, suggesting the killer was not in direct contact with isis. Meanwhile, the death toll among masoods victims rose to four thursday after a 75yearold man died from his wounds. In israel, a video has emerged of an Israeli Police officer brutalizing a palestinian truck driver in occupied east jerusalem. The video shows the officer headbutting, slapping, kicking , and punching the man before turning to attack a pair of men seeking to restrain him. The video drew calls from arabisraeli lawmakers to arrest and prosecute the officer. Israels Public Security minister promised an investigation. Meanwhile, Israeli Police have arrested palestinian rights activist Omar Barghouti over alleged tax evasion, seizing his passport and forbidding him from leaving the country. Barghouti is a leader of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, or bds, an International Campaign to pressure israel to comply with International Law and respect palestinian rights. In a statement, the palestinian Bds National Committee called the charges bogus, noting a haaretz investigation that found israel has set up a dirty tricks or tarnishing unit to target bds supporters. The group said the fact that this investigation includes a travel ban and that it comes a few weeks before Omar Barghouti is scheduled to travel to the u. S. To receive the gandhi peace award jointly with ralph nader in a ceremony at Yale University proves its true motive repression. Elsewhere in israel, police in the Southern City of ashkelon on thursday arrested a jewish an israeli american teenager with dual u. S. And israeli citizenship, charging him with making more than bomb threats 100 against synagogues and other Jewish Community buildings in the u. S. , australia and new zealand. The threats came as amid a broader wave of antisemitic threats against jewish institutions over recent months, which included the desecration of jewish cemeteries in pennsylvania, missouri, and new york. An Egyptian Court freed Hosni Mubarak from prison today, six years after the former dictator led a crackdown on protests that killed hundreds of people opposed to his 30year rule. The 88yearold mubarak left a Military Hospital in southern cairo and returned to his home in the citys northern suburbs. Mubaraks release after his acquittal on murder charges contrasts with the fate of political activists opposed to the countrys military government. Amnesty International Reports more than 1400 people are currently being held in prisons beyond a twoyear limit for pretrial detention. In washington, d. C. The justice , department has opened a criminal probe into California Republican Congress Member duncan hunter, whos accused of raiding his Campaign Funds for personal use. The investigation follows a finding by the office of congressional ethics that hunter may have used the funds for family travel, flights, utilities, health care, school tuition, jewelry, groceries, and other expenses. In mexico, a gunman shot dead journalist miroslava breach thursday as she was leaving her home in chihuahua. The 54yearold reported on organized crime, drug trafficking, and corruption for the national newspaper, la jornada. The committee to protect journalists said it was the third deadly attack on mexican journalists this month. The press Freedom Organization article 19 has called mexico the most dangerous nation for reporters in the western hemisphere. In chicago, an indictment unsealed thursday charges Police Officer Jason Van Dyke with 16 counts of aggravated battery for each of the bullets he fired one into 17yearold Laquan Mcdonald in october of 2014. The killing was captured on a thethe killing was captured on a Police Dashcam video released under court order, which clearly contradicted Police Claims about the shooting. The video shows the teenager posing no threat and walking away from the officers before officer van dyck opens fire. Van dyke still faces firstdegree murder charges, but some legal observers believe the special prosecutor brought the additional charges to give jurors the option to charge the officer with a lesser offense. In breaking news, the Trump Administration has approved a permit allowing transcanada to build the keystone xl pipeline, which would carry oil from canadas tar fans the gulf coast refineries in the United States. The pipeline was the subject of a years long fight by environmental groups to convince the Obama Administration to deny a permit following a Long Campaign of civil disobedience and last protest. Meanwhile, the National Snow and Ice Data Center reported wednesday Arctic Ocean Sea ice grew last winter to the lowest maximum extent ever recorded, in another sign that humandriven Global Warming is irrevocably changing the planet. The record low extent of the ice followed a number of record high temperatures in the arctic over the winter, with measurements at the north pole repeatedly climbing by as much as 50 degrees fahrenheit above normal. And Lifelong Community organizer bob lee has died of cancer at his home in houston, texas. Lee, also known as robert alwalee, was born on december 16, 1942. He served as a field secretary in the illinois chapter of the black panther party. He was also an organizer of the original rainbow coalition, an alliance between the black panther party, the young lords, the young patriots, and other groups. Lee appeared in the documentary the black panthers vanguard of the revolution. Amy thats bob lee, in the documentary the black panthers vanguard of the revolution. Lee died on tuesday at the age of 74. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President trump has issued republican lawmakers and ultimatum. If the republican dont pass a Health Care Bill today, he will leave the Affordable Care act in place. Trump made the threat on thursday hours after House Speaker paul ryan called off a vote on their plan to overhaul the u. S. Health care system, after failing to win enough support from their partys ranks to overcome democratic opposition despite heavy lobbying from the white house. On thursday night, ryan said a vote will take place today even though it remains unclear if he has enough votes. For 7. 5 years, we have been promising the American People that we will repeal and replace this rogan law because it is collapsing and failing families. Tomorrow we are proceeding. You have the votes . Amy in recent days, republicans have been scrambling to rewrite the legislation in order to appease members of the rightwing freedom party. The latest version of the bill strips away provisions that would require Health Insurers to provide basic Services Including Maternity Care, newborn care, emergency services, Mental Health, and addiction treatment. On thursday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer faced questions about cutting Maternity Care benefits. Potential benefits protections, among those is Maternity Leav