Putin interviews. Is our government is telling it is a major threat to the United States, we better know who they are. Above all, we should know who their president is. A makeup threetime oscarwinning film maker oliver stone interviewed russian president Vladimir Putin f 20 hours over the past two years. Nowadays, nato is a mere instrument of the Foreign Policy of u. S. It has no allies, only vassals. Once a country becomes a nato member, it is hard to resist the pressure of the u. S. Amy oliver stone on Vladimir Putin. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Attorney general Jeff Sessions has denied colluding with russia ahead of the 2016 election, during a highly anticipated testimony before the Senate Intelligence committee on tuesday. Sessions spent much of tuesdays hearing refusing to answer questions about President Trumps firing of fbi director of james comey and whether trump had expressed concern to sessions about the attorney generals decision to recuse himself from the russia investigation. This is independent senator angus king of maine grilling sessions about his refusal to answer questions. What is the legal basis for your refusal to answer these questions . Of protecting the right of the president to assert it if you chooses, and are maybe ever privileges other privileges that could apply the circumstance. The president cant not assert it and you have testified that only the president can assert it and yet i just dont understand the legal basis for your refusal to answer. It would be premature for me to deny the president a full and intelligent choice about exec a privilege. Amy attorney general Jeff Sessions testifying to the Senate Intelligence committee tuesday. Kamala harris was interrupted by john mccain of arizona as she interviewed sessions also interrupted last week when she was interviewing rod rosenstein, leading many to charge them with sexism. The senate is slated to vote today on whether to impose a series of new sanctions against russia over the alleged interference in the 2016 election. Well have more on Jeff Sessions testimony after headlines. Nearly 200 Democratic Congress members are suing President Trump, accusing him of violating the emoluments clause of the constitution by accepting millions of dollars in payments from foreign governments to his companies while serving as u. S. President. The attorneys general of maryland and d. C. Have filed a similar lawsuit against the president. On capitol hill, the senate has voted 53 to 47 to approve the sale of 500 million in precisionguided munitions to saudi arabia. A surprising number of senators voted against the deal, amid increasing concerns about the u. S. Backed saudiled war in yemen, which has killed more than 10,000 people and included devastating attacks on civilians that human Rights Groups say may constitute war crimes. This comes as the death toll from an escalating cholera outbreak in yemen has now topped 900. More than a quarter of the victims are children. The u. S. Backed, saudiled Bombing Campaign and naval blockade has devastated yemens sanitation, water, and health infrastructure, with less than half of yemens hospitals currently operational. United nations war crimes investigators say u. S. Led Coalition Airstrikes on the syrian city of raqqa are causing a staggering loss of civilian life. The u. S. Backed Syrian Democratic forces launched the offensive to retake the city of raqqa from isis a week ago. Since then, the u. S. Led coalition has been launching an average of more than a dozen airstrikes a day against the city. Among the recent reported victims of the airstrikes and attacks by u. S. Troops are a young girl named tal al jasser, a father named Mahmoud Farouk alkhalafand and his fourmonthold child, and a boy named Khaled Al Khalaf al sayel who reportedly died alongside his sister and his father. Meanwhile, in more news on syria, unnamed u. S. Defense officials have told cnn that the pentagon has moved its high mobility artillery rocket system from jordan into syria for the first time, positing it near the u. S. Military base at al tanf. In iraq, more than 800 civilians at a refugee camp have been sickened by contaminated food provided by the British Charity help the Needy Charitable trust. This is mohammed abd alrahman, people were kicking the ground with their feet and screaming out of pain. A very strong pain in the stomach. We were told we had been poisoned by food. We were taken to the clinic at night and we were treated. V. Drip and on an i. We got better. Some people remain in Critical Condition until the morning. Amy President Trump has given the pentagon new power to decide the number of u. S. Troops in afghanistan, meaning thousands more u. S. Soldiers could be deployed. The authorization came the same day defense secretary jim mattis testified to the Senate Armed Services committee. We are not winning in afghanistan right now. And we will correct this as soon as possible. I believe the three things we are asking for stand on their own merit, however, as we look more broadly at the protection of the country. Amy there are currently about 8400 u. S. Troops in afghanistan. The war in afghanistan is the longest in u. S. History. In bangladesh and northeast india, nearly 150 people have died amid a series of landslides triggered by heavy rains and flooding. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise as First Responders continue to search for missing people. In egypt, the government has blocked acce to at least 48 news sites amid an increasing crackdown against journalists and human rights activists. Among the sites are aljazeera, huffington posts arabic website, the selfpublishing platform medium, and the local independent news site mada masr. American College StudentOtto Warmbier has returned to the United States in a coma after being detained in north korea for more than 17 months. He was initially sentenced to 15 years of hard labor after trying to steal a propaganda banner from the hotel. Slipped intoays he a coma after taking a sleeping pill. Although his family says he was brutalized and terrorized and are skeptical of the explanation. Meanwhile, former nba player Dennis Rodman has arrived in north korea. U. S. Officials say rodman is not acting as a representative for the u. S. Government. A new investigation by the guardian has revealed workplace abuse, grueling production targets, and deplorably low pay at an indonesian factory that makes clothing for ivanka trumps label. Many of the female workers at the factory in west java say the pay is so low, they live in constant debt and cant afford to live with their own children. This comes as three chinese activist with the group china labor watch continue toe in ison after they were arrested while investigating Labor Conditions at a chinese Factory Manufacturing the foxtrot print shoes. In london, least three people have died and 20 were in crital condition missed a raging fire among the 24 story part in building a west london this point. The fire is not known the cause of the fire is not known. The commissioner says the blaze is the worst eocene and 29 years on the job in london. In pakistan, journalists staged nationwide protests denouncing the assassination of journalist bakhshish elahi, who was shot to death on sundaon his way to the office. Elahi was the bureau chief of the daily newspaper k2 times. Back in the United States, President Trump and Top Republican lawmakers continue their efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act. Multiple past republican efforts to craft and pass their own Health Care Law have failed. On tuesday, trump held a lunch with 13 republican senators to discuss the latest effort. Care act while speaking in wisconsin tuesday. Pres. Trump these are sad but familiar stories in wisconsin. Where obama care premiums have doubled. Obama care is one of the greatest catastrophes that our country has signed into law in the victims are innocent, hardworking americans. Amy in michig try to stop the deportation of a group of iraqis. In recent days, more than 100 iraqis have been arrested by immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in one of the biggest such roundup in years. Advocates say the iraqis, many of whom are christian, could face torture and persecution in iraq. Meanwhile, in westchester county, new york, classmates and residents are demanding the release of High School Student diego puma macancela, who was arrested by ice agents on the same day as his senior prom. He and his mom are facing deportation to ecuador. Uber Ceo Travis Kalanick is taking an indefinite leave of absence amid a scandal over Sexual Harassment at the wall streetbacked ridehailing company. On tuesday, billionaire David Bonderman also resigned from ubers board, after making disparaging comments about women at a Board Meeting intended to address Sexual Harassment. Saying if there were more women on the board it is much more likely to be more talking. Gillespie won a narrow victory over his trumpsupporting challenger in the republican primary for the virginia governors race. His challenger, corey stewart, ran his campaign on his loyalty to President Trump. While gillespie was expected to win by a wide margin, he ended up winning by only a few thousand votes. Hell now face democratic Lieutenant GovernorRalph Northam in november. And a new analysis of 2016 data shows that five men now possess as much wealth as half of the worlds population combined. , a five men, bill gates spanish businessman, jeff bezos, warren buffett, and a mexican medications. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Juan welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Attorney general Jeff Sessions appeared before the Senate Intelligence committee on tuesday for a highly anticipated hearing. During his opening statement, sessions denied colluding with russia ahead of the 2016 election. Participated in any collusion, that i was aware of any collusion with the russian government to hurt this country, which i have served with honor or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process is an appalling and the testable why. Lie. Amy sessions had previously acknowledged meeting with Russian AmbassadorSergey Kislyak twice last year. At tuesdays hearing, sessions sessions gave conflicting testimony that he may have had a third encounter with kislyak at the Mayflower Hotel in washington, d. C. , during a Trump Campaign event in april 2016. Juan but much of tuesdays hearing saw sessions refusing to answer questions about President Trumps firing of fbi director of james comey and whether trump had expressed concern to sessions about the attorney generals decision to recuse himself from the russia investigation. Oregon senator ron wyden of accused him of stonewalling. I believe the American People have had it with stonewalling. Americans dont want to hear the answers to relevant questions are privileged and offlimits or that they cant be provided in public or that it would be inappropriate for witnesses to tell us what they know. We talking about an attack on her Democratic Institutions and stonewalling of any kind is unacceptable. Senator wyden, i am not stonewalling. I am following the this dork policies of the department of justice. You dont walk into any hearing or Committee Meeting and reveal Confidential Communications with the president of the United States who is entitled to receive Confidential Communications and your best judgment about a host of issues. And after being accused of stonewalling for not answering them. I would push act on that. Amy independent senator angus king of maine also grilled sessions about his refusal to answer questions. What is the legal basis for your refusal to answer these questions . And protecting the right of the president to assert it if he chooses and the ready other privileges that could apply in this circumstance. I dont understand harry can have it both ways. The president cant not assert it and your testify that only the president can assert it, and yet i just dont understand the legal basis for your refusal to answer. You would be premature for me to deny the president for and intelligent choice about executive privilege. Amy for more were joined by elizabeth goitein, codirector of the liberty and National Security program at the Brennan Center for justice. Welcome to democracy now your reaction to the hearing yesterday. Are some of the who insisted on the opportunity to testify publicly so he could tell his side of the story, sessions at Little Information to the public his medications with russian officials before the election or the firing of james comey or any conversations trump and comey might have had that were not appropriate. He certainly expressed outrage at the notion that he might have been part of collusion with the russian government and interference with the election, but every time the members of the committee asked for details, really pressed him for details that would enable them to probe his various claims, he either said it remember or he would be inappropriate for him to answer because it involved communications with white house officials, which was obviously and rightfully quite frustrating to some of the senators. Juan what about looking at his testimony relationship to james comey last week . Were there any contradictions or corroborations from sessions of some of the stuff that comey said . There was one contradiction, which was comey said after his private meeting with trump, which trump arranged by ordering everyone else did leave the room, comey went to sessions and said, this was inappropriate, i should not be allowed or i should not be forced to have a private meeting with the president. He implored sessions to make sure that did not happen again. Cans testimony, he said sessions simply do not respond. Sessions said that was not accurate. That the department of justice had rules about communications between the department and the white house about ongoing investigations and he hoped comey would follow those rules. It is a little bizarre what sessions said that the response he said he gave. For one thing, apparently, he had no curiosity about with the meeting was about. Here currently did not even ask what the meeting was about, which seems odd. The other thing that seems on, if trump arranged that is private meeting and ordered everyone else out and comey said, this was inappropriate, why is sessions responding by lecturing, about the rules instead of going to President Trump and saying this is an appropriate . The other thing i will say, to the extent were seeing a conflict in testimony or conflict and recollection, im going to go with the man who took contemporaneous notes of everything over the guy who said i dont remember or i dont recall 26 times in one hearing. Juan one of the most tense exchanges during tuesdays hearing was between attorney general sessions and democratic senator Kamala Harris of california. Did you have any communications with russian officials for any reason to the campaign that have not been disclosed in public or to this committee . I dont recall it. But i have to tell you, i cannot as wey to what was said were standing at the Republican Convention before the podium where some of the sir i need to be correct as best i can i do want im not able to be rushed this fast. It makes me nervous. Juan harris then went on to question sessions about his reasons for not answering many of the questions he was asked, but was interrupted by senator john mccain. You refer to a longstanding doj policy. Can you tell us what policy it is you are talking about . I think most people, as the witnesses you had before you earlier, those individuals declined to comment. Because were all about conversations with it sir, im asking about the doj policy the ghost just beyond is that policy in writing somewhere . I think so. Did you not consulted before coming to this committee knowing we would ask questions . We did you ask it be shown to you . The p