Natividad, president of the guahan coalition for peace and justice and a member of the Guam Commission on decolonization. Well also speak with david vine, author of base nation how u. S. Military bases abroad harm america and the world. Then, sphere of influence how american libertarians called the Atlas Network are remaking latin american politics. While politicians operate within the confines of what they consider possible, atlas and our Global Partners think it is more costeffective to change what is considered politically possible. Venezuela as well as those that ousted the president , we will speak to the intercept Investigative Reporter lee fong, who just published a , major expose on the group. Then we talked to a yemeni student who among thousands, one a visa from the diversity lottery. Well also talk with a veteran state Department Official who says taking visas away from lottery winners is the cruelest possible thing this administration could do. All that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President trump ramped up his threats of hitting north korea with fire and fury. Letter, 62 House Democrats called on the secretary of state Rex Tillerson to deescalate tensions, calling trumps words the legitimate and reckless. A group of korean american elected officials sent President Trump a letter calling for diplomacy and dialogue. Among those signing the letter was philadelphia councilperson helen again who said as we observe the anniversary of the atomic bombs that destroyed musthima and nagasaki, we learn the lessons of history which is never again. President donald trump intensifies attacks on Mitch Mcconnell on thursday, implying the republican leader should step down if he fails to pass trumps legislative priorities. This is President Trump, speaking to reporters at his private golf resort in bedminster, new jersey. If he does not get repeal and replace done and taxes done and infrastructure, he does not get them done then you can ask me that question. Amy trumps criticism of senator mcconnell came after congress headed to its summer recess without passing any of President Trumps major legislative goals, including a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act. Trumps Affordable Care act. Meanwhile, a new study finds the republican effort to overturn the Affordable Care act will likely lead to doubledigit Insurance Premium hikes for millions of americans next year. Thursdays report by Kaiser FamilyFoundation Also predicts that uncertainty over the fate of the Affordable Care act will lead insurers to offer fewer products, with many likely to exit the Health Insurance exchanges altogether. After his efforts to repeal obamacare failed last month, President Trump tweeted let obamacare implode, then deal. In minnesota, democratic Congressmember Keith Ellison on thursday condemned President Trump for not speaking out about an attack on a mosque in minnesota. Speaking to the ap, congressman says itison suggests that his oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States, including the right to equal protection under the law, only extends to people who meet certain racial and religious criteria. Ellisons comments came after Deputy Assistant to president Sebastian Gorka suggested the Minnesota Mosque Bombing was a false flag attack. This was him speaking on msnbc. Initial reports are false. You have to check them, have to find out who the perpetrators are. We have a series of a legend hate crimes alleged hate crimes that actually were propagated by the left so lets wait and see and allow authorities to provide their assessment, and then the white house will make its comments. Amy the jewish newspaper the forward reports gorka has links to a hungarian farright, naziallied group, and supported an antisemitic and racist paramilitary militia in hungary while he served as a hungarian politician. Our top story, President Trump thursday ramped up his threats of hitting north korea with fire and fury, saying if they were to carry out an attack on guam the military would retaliate. This is President Trump speaking to reporters from inside his private golf resort in new jersey. As i think the first time they heard it like they heard it, and frankly the people who were questioning that statement was it too tough, maybe it was not tough enough. They have been doing this to our country for very long, many years, and it is about time somebody stuck up for this country and the people of other countries. North korea responded, calling trump a senile man who cannot think rationally. A detailed their threat to guam. After headlines, we will go to guam to speak with a peace activist. In cuba, the u. S. State Department Says the growth of its diplomats and have anna suffered severe hearing lost they believe was caused by a sonic device. The incidents began last fall when workers at the u. S. Embassy and have anna began complaining of dust in havana began complaining of headaches and hearing loss. It was concluded the hearing loss was due to a sonic range outside of the house outside one of the diplomats was treated for hearing loss. Cuban officials deny any involvement and say they are cooperating with u. S. Officials to investigate incident. Some are talking about a ssible thi country inlvement. In russia, a Court Sentenced instigative journalist alander sokolov to a thr and a half year prison term thursday, after he called for a referendum to make politicians more accountable. Prosecutors accused the 29yearold of running an Extremist Organization aimed at overthrowing elected officials. This is alexander sokolov, speaking to reporters from inside a courthouse cage, after his sentencing. The idea of a referendum is considered to be extremism in russia and a great crime has been committed against us, which is hindering a referendum. It is obvious the people from russia are prohibited am assessing the actions of those in power. The thought of evaluating a president and lawmakers is thought to be extremism. Amy sokolovs conviction and harsh sentence drew condemnation from several human fights and press freedom groups, including reporters without borders, who called it disgraceful. In arizona, u. S. Immigration officials took 16 lgbtq activists into custody thursday, after they crossed into arizona from nogales, mexico seeking political asylum. The activists, four gay men and 12 transgender women traveled , from Central America in an lgbtq Migrant Caravan aimed at combating transphobia and homophobia in latin america. This is kimberly, a transgender woman from honduras, speaking wednesday at the u. S. Mexico border. Have fled from our countries of origin because most do not affect us. They run us from our homes, they take us out of our homes because we are trans. Any of us have been abused by gang members, security forces, and even the police have beat us. Amy members of the lgbtq Migrant Caravan called on supporters to call ice to ask immigration officials to release the activists on humanitarian parole while their claims for asylum are processed. Sea, the u. N. s Migration Agency says scores of migrants are missing and feared drowned, after a pair of incidents in which human smugglers ordered migrants off their boats and into the roiling ocean off the coast of yemen. On thursday, the International Organization for migration said at least 19 migrants were presumed dead after smugglers pushed them into the sea away from the coast in an effort to avoid saudiled patrols off the coast of yemen. Thursdays incident came a day after another smuggler ordered 120 passengers off his boat, many of whom drowned. This is laurent de boeck of the International Organization for migration. There were five police today but there are 50 others we still do not know where they are. Some are still in the sea. We doubt they would be alive. Amy most of the migrants were from somalia and ethiopia, and were seeking to travel through yemen to gulf states. In ethiopia, the Charity Oxfam warns an intense drought has pushed another 700,000 people to the verge of starvation. Oxfams warning adds to the u. N. s earlier estimate that at least 8. 5 million ethiopians are in need of immediate food aid. The u. N. Warns that Climate Change has made droughts in the horn of africa far more common, leading to Food Shortages like a 2011 famine that killed as many as 260,000 people. In more climate news, the National Oceanic and atmospheric noaa confirmed in a new report thursday that 2016 was the hottest year on record. Noaas report found record heat for both land and ocean temperatures; record high sea levels; an aboveaverage Tropical Cyclone season; and Arctic Sea Ice coverage at or near record lows. Noaa also measured record high levels of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere, reaching nearly 403 parts per million. Meanwhile, in greenland, a massive and unprecedented wildfire continues to burn nearly two weeks after dried peat first caught fire on the islands southwest. Scientists say Climate Change has led to less surface water in those parts of greenland not covered in ice. In lincoln, nebraska, activists delivered over 460,000 Public Comments thursday to the States Public Service commissioners, urging them to reject a permit for the proposed keystone xl pipeline to cross the state. The pipeline, which was resurrected in march by President Trump, has faced years of resistance from native americans, farmers, ranchers and environmentalists. And in new york citys financial district, five activists were arrested thursday as they nonviolently blocked the entrance of the investment giant Goldman Sachs. The arrests came as about 200 protesters gathered to denounce a conference between Goldman Sachs and pipeline and fossil fuel corporations. I am with new york communities for change in front of Goldman Sachs headquarters to send a message they should not be funding oil and Gas Pipelines and collaborating with the trump administration. It shows native American People under attack by Goldman Sachs and the trump administration, but trying to build projects like this. And am from Putnam Valley we just want to show up to tell them that there is cleaner alternatives. There is solar, wind, geothermal. There is all kinds of energy. They should invest in that. I am from the caldwell confederate chimes for any advance. There are pipelines underneath us right now, the inbuilt right now. The nature is being harmed by pipelines right now and i am here as proof that native people will always be standing here, whether it is facing colonization through war or through pipelines. Amy five people were arrested at the civil nonviolent disobedience. Those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now, democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We begin today in guam where the front page of the countrys pacific daily newspaper reads 14 minutes. Thats how long it would take missiles fired from north korea to reach the u. S. Territory in the western pacific if there is an escalation of the threat of nuclear war between the u. S. And north korea. In the last hour, President Trump tweeted was solutions are fully in place, locked and loaded, should north korea at unwisely. Hopefully kim jong on will find another past. Pass. On thursday, President Trump again threatened north korea, saying if it were to carry out an attack on guam, the u. S. Would retaliate with military action the likes of which nobody has seen before. This is trump sparring with a reporter while speaking inside his golf resort in bedminster, new jersey. Lets see what he does with guam. If he does something in guam, the likes of which he has never seen before. What do you mean . You will see and he will see. Is that i dare . It is not a dare, it is a statement. Amy on thursday, trump also said that maybe his threats earlier this week to attack north korea with fire and fury were not tough enough. This is trump being questioned by a reporter at a News Conference at his golf resort. Statement on tuesday was nonsense, that is the word they used. Do you have any response . I do not think they may not and it is the first time they herded like they heard it. Frankly, the people who were questioning that statement, maybe it was not tough enough. Amy trumps threats of nuclear war jew condemnation from a number of u. S. Lawmakers. More than 60 House Democrats urged secretary of state Rex Tillerson to deescalate tensions, calling trumps words belligerent and reckless. A group of koreanamerican elected officials sent trump a letter calling for diplomacy and dialog. On thursday, north korea responded to trumps latest threats, in a statement aired on state media. The u. S. Commander in chief was at a golf course again and let out a load of nonsense about fire and theory, failing to realize the ongoing grave situation. We cannot have a sound dialogue with a senile man who cannot think rationally. Amy north korea also detailed its threat to strike guam, saying it would launch four intermediate range missiles in the waters off the u. S. Territory. Launched bys to be the Korean Peoples Army will cross the sky above hiroshima, frying 3356. 7 kilometers before hitting the waters 30 to 40 kilometers away from guam. Amy the pentagon controls about a third of all the land on guam, which is home to 163,000 people, and a sprawling complex of u. S. Military bases, including the air force base where many of the United States b2 bombers take off from before flying over the korean peninsula. For decades residents of guam , have resisted the militarization and colonization of their homeland by the United States, which has now put them in the crosshairs of a possible nuclear war between the u. S. And north korea. Viamore, we go to guam democracynow video stream to speak with lisalinda natividad, president of the guahan coalition for peace and justice, and a member of the Guam Commission on decolonization. She is also a professor at the university of guam. In 2015, she visited north korea as part of an International Womens delegation called women cross dmz. And in chicopee, massachusetts, were joined by david vine, author of base nation how u. S. Military bases abroad harm america and the world. He is an associate professor of anthropology at American University. Welcome. What is the atmosphere on guam right now . How are people responding to this escalation between President Trump and north korea . Because ofne hand ,ur hyper militarized existence there is sort of desensitization and buying into in terms of what they are being told about the island being safe , our governor saying there is no imminent threat. Theres just an equal amount of people who are growing increasingly angry as to how we are being used as pawns in this situation. What most people do not understand is that guam during world war ii was an active war zone for three years occupied by the japanese army. That is something that is very much a part of our being. The second half of our abouttion is very angry the great risk. , you are author basece nation. Nation. Can you talk about how the u. S. Bases on guam were established . Was initially colonized by the spanish empire in the United States acquired the islands and occupy the islands in the spanishamerican war of 1898 and oh Must Immediately began to build up the islands as a military base. The island was treated as a single military base. The presence was relatively small until world war ii. As lisa linda mentioned, guam was one of the few parts of the United States to suffer Japanese Occupation for three long and painful years, and the violence of a u. S. Attack to evict the japanese, which led to widespread displacement. What we saw after the war was the massive buildup of guam into a major u. S. Military force