In the choiceng 16 election. We will get the latest with marcy wheeler. ,hen we remember Javier Valdez who died monday in mexico after he was dragged out of his car and shot 12 times less than a block from the office of the newspaper he founded. Live is dangerous to be a and to do journalism and tread and invisible line trauma the bad guys drawn by the bad guys. This is what most of the country is living through. Amy we will hear Javier Valdez in his own words and speak to anabel hernandez, another mexican journalist who has also faced Death Threats for her reporting on mexicos drug trade. And we will look at how more than 50 farm workers here in california were recently exposed to highly toxic pesticide, whose use was recently greenlighted by the epa in one of the agencys first decisions since donald trump took office. All of that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from los angeles. The department of justice has tapped former fbi director Robert Mueller as special counsel in an investigation into russias role in the 2016 u. S. Election, including allegations russia colluded with Donald Trumps campaign to sway the president ial race. The move by Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein came one day after reports emerged that President Trump had personally asked former fbi director james comey to end the agencys investigation into trumps former National Security adviser, Michael Flynn, who was fired for lying both publicly and privately about his contacts with russian officials. Muellers appointment came as the New York Times reports flynn told President Trumps Transition Team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for turkey during the campaign. That is far earlier than the administration previously admitted. Meanwhile, reuters is reporting flynn and other advisers to Trumps Campaign were in contact with russian officials and others with kremlin ties in at least 18 undisclosed calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 president ial race. The communications are being examined as part of the fbi probe. And in another development, mcclatchy is reporting one of flynns first decisions as National Security advisor was to reject an obamaera military plan that would have been opposed by turkey. Trump eventually agreed to the plan after flynn was fired. We will have more on the melting Trump Administration scandals after the headlines with journalist marcy wheeler. On capitol hill, Texas Democrat al green on wednesday became the First Congress member to call for President Trumps impeachment from the floor of the house of representatives. Callday, mr. Speaker, to for the impeachment of the president of the United States of america for obstruction of justice. I do it because, mr. Speaker, there is a believe in this country that no one is above the law. And that includes the president of the United States of america. Amy Party Leaders have sought to tamp down public discussion by a growing number of rankandfile democrats over whether to impeach trump. Meanwhile, three republicans have raised the possibility. Congress members Carlos Curbelo of florida, justin amash of michigan, and walter jones of North Carolina have said trump may have committed an impeachable offense. President trump lashed out at the media wednesday for the scandals rocking his administration. Trump was speaking at a Commencement Ceremony at the Coast Guard Academy in connecticut. Pres. Trump no politician in history and i say this with great surety has been treated worse or more unfairly. You cant let them get you down. You cant let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. Amy during his speech, President Trump promised graduating coast guard cadets he would never stop fighting for them. In fact, trump has proposed slashing the coast guards budget by 1. 3 billion, or about 12 . President trump is departing to saudi arabia friday for his first trip abroad as president. He is slated to give a speech about islam, which is being written by the islamaphobic white house Senior Advisor stephen miller. Miller was the architect of trumps muslim first travel ban, which sought to block all refugees and citizens from seven majority muslim nations from entering the United States. Miller also get a series of vehemently islamic dish, phobic speeches after trump visits to heal had to israel and then the vatican. U. S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning celebrated her first steps of freedom wednesday, tweeting a photograph of her shoes as she walked out of Fort Leavenworth prison in kansas as a free woman. Manning spent seven years behind bars, much of it in solitary confinement. President obama commuted the remainder of her 35year prison sentence shortly before he left office. The Obama Administration prosecuted manning under the espionage act after she revealed secrets of the u. S. State department and pentagon, including evidence of war crimes and support for u. S. Allies committing torture. In puerto rico, a federal court in san juan opened bankruptcy proceedings wednesday as the island seeks to restructure 123 billion in debt and pension obligations. Judge Laura Taylor Swain will now oversee the largestever municipal bankruptcy in u. S. History in proceedings that are expected to drag on for years. Puerto rico is legally barred from using chapter 9, the bankruptcy route normally taken by insolvent local governments. Puerto ricos dept crisis has forced austerity measures on a population suffering from skyrocketing poverty and unemployment. Most recently the government , closed nearly 200 schools across the island. In greece, tens of thousands of striking workers flooded the streets of athens and other cities ahead of todays vote by wednesday the Greek Parliament on another round of austerity measures. Trade Union Activists say the latest planned cuts would continue a downward spiral for the greek economy. This government fooled the workers and the rest of the greek people by saying they would get rid of the bailouts. Yet tomorrow, it is voting in the fourth bailout, which is much harsher than the previous ones. The workers cannot bear anymore suffering from austerity measures that are constantly being imposed and that slowly eat away at the small income they receive. The government must try anyway it can to take from those that have and not from the have nots. Amy in brazil, an explosive new report reveals president michel temer was secretly recorded approving of hush money payoffs for a powerful politician jailed on corruption charges. The newspaper o globo reports in one recording from march, president temer is told by a wealthy businessman about Cash Payments to keep former House SpeakerEduardo Cunha from revealing secrets about his former colleagues. The paper reports temer responded you have to keep it going, ok . Brazil is already embroiled in a vast Corruption Scandal involving nearly 100 prominent politicians and a third of temers cabinet. Back in the United States and immigration news, newly released Government Data show their Trump Administration is deporting immigrants at a record rate 40 higher than the previous record pace set by the Obama Administration. It was reported wednesday or than 41,000 people were deported through the end of april, up from about 80,000 supported in the same time frame last year. More than one third of those arrested by ice had no criminal convictions. In wisconsin, Milwaukee County sheriff david clarke said wednesday he has accepted an appointment as assistant secretary of the department of homeland security. Clarke has called on local police to work as immigration officers in partnership with ice. He has also declared there is no Police Brutality in america, and has called members of the black lives Matter Movement garbage, black slime, and subhuman creeps. Clarkes appointment comes as his milwaukee jail remains under investigation after that after prisoner Terrill Thomas died of extreme dehydration after guards reportedly cut off the water in his solitary confinement cell for seven days. Thomas is one of four people who died at the Milwaukee County jail over a six month period last year. In tulsa, oklahoma, a jury on wednesday found white Police Officer betty shelby not guilty of manslaughter for killing unarmed African AmericanTerence Crutcher after his car broke down last september. Police video footage shows crutcher walking slowly away from officers with his hands in the air, then putting his hands on the side of his own car before hes surrounded by officers and fatally wounded by officer shelby. This is Terence Crutchers twin sister, tiffany crutcher, speaking after the not guilty verdict. I am going to make sure that i do not rest until we get reform for this Police Department in tulsa, oklahoma, and we change the culture of this corrupt Police Department. Now we got to go home. We have to go home and hug on his four kids and love on them and explain to them a system that is perpetuated so much injustice a Justice System that has perpetuated so much injustice. And i promise you, i will not rest until we bring that change. Amy in texas, a leaked Police Body Cam video from 2016 shows a white Police Officer in a dallas suburb using his taser to electrocute a handcuffed black man who was not resisting arrest. In the video, an unidentified sergeant with the Balch SpringsPolice Department draws his taser and shocks 29yearold marco stephenson, who collapses. The sergeant then jabs his taser into stephensons back and repeatedly electrocutes him. Amy the video was mailed to dallas tv station fox 4 from an unknown source. The Balch Springs police chief says the sergeant was not fired over the incident, and instead was temporarily removed from contact with members of the public until he completed classes on conflict resolution. This is the same Police Department where former officer roy oliver shot and killed 15yearold jordan edwards in april after firing his Assault Rifle into a car carrying five black teenagers as they drove away from the officer. Oliver is awaiting trial for murdering edwards. In new orleans, work crews removed a statue confederate general p. G. T. Beauregard early wednesday morning, the third of four such monuments ordered to be removed by the city council and mayor mitch landrieu. White nationalists had staged a series of protests in the leadup to the confederate memorials removals, prompting some workers to wear masks and bulletproof vests for protection. One statue remains to be removed, that of Confederate Army leader general robert e lee. In new york city dozens of , protesters gathered outside governor Andrew Cuomos offices wednesday to oppose a bailout of new yorks aging Nuclear Power plants that could cost ratepayers up to 7. 6 billion over the next 12 years. Bruce rosen of the group united for action says new york should instead turn to Clean Energy Sources like solar and wind to meet its goal of reducing Greenhouse Gas emissions. The governor has promoted renewables. In no way is Nuclear Power renewable. We dont know how to handle the waste. These have to go. The state should be going, as everybody is here, 100 as fast as possible to renewable energy. Amy the new york protest came as a draft budget document seen by the website axios reveals the Trump Administration hopes to slash the Energy Departments renewable and Energy Efficiency program by nearly 70 . And Oscar Lopez Rivera has walked free after serving 35 years in prison for much of the time in solitary confinement. In 1981, he was convicted of federal charges including conspiring to oppose u. S. Authority over puerto rico. In 1999, president bill clinton commuted the sentences of 16 members of the faln, but he refused to accept the deal because it did not include two fellow activists who have long since been released. In generate, president obama commuted Oscar Lopez Riveras sentence. You spoke yesterday after being freed. I want to thank president s jimmy carter, bill clinton, and barack obama because they responded to the complaints and demand of our people and commuted the sentences of all of our political prisoners. Amy and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from los angeles. It has been another extraordinary 24 hours in the nations capital. In the biggest news of the day, Deputy Attorney general Rod Rosenstein appointed former fbi director Robert Mueller to serve as a special counsel to oversee a probe into russian government efforts to influence the 2016 president ial election. The move came one day after reports emerged that President Trump had personally asked former fbi director james comey to end the agencys investigation into trumps former National Security adviser, general Michael Flynn, who was fired for lying both publicly and privately about his contacts with russian officials. Earlier this morning, President Trump responded on twitter writing with all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton Campaign and Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed. This is the single greatest witchhunt of a politician in american history. In another new development, the New York Times reports trump picked Michael Flynn as his National Security advisor even , though flynn had warned trumps Transition Team that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for turkey during the campaign. Meanwhile, mcclatchy is reporting one of flynns first decisions as National Security advisor was to reject an obamaera military plan that would have been opposed by turkey. The pentagon wanted to use Syrian Kurdish forces to help retake the city of raqqa but flynn rejected the plan. Turkey has long opposed the u. S. Partnering with kurdish fighters. Trump eventually agreed to the plan after general flynn was fired. This all comes as democrat al green of texas became the first member of congress to openly call for trumps impeachment on the floor of the house. Even some republicans are now broaching the subject. Republican congressman justin amash of michigan impeachment said impeachment might be merited if trump urged comey to drop his investigation of flynn. Meanwhile, the Washington Post has revealed an explosive comment made last year by House Majority leader Kevin Mccarthy. In a private conversation with House Speaker paul ryan and others, mccarthy said theres two people i think putin pays rohrabacher and trump, referring to the presi