Broken in ukraine. Violent clashes have left at least 50 people dead. We will speak with nyu professor Stephen Cohen on the latest violence, the roots of the conflict, the secret u. S. Role backing deposition. Venezuela, which is also in a state of appeal as antigovernment protesters take to the streets to oppose hugo chavezs successor Nicolas Maduro. As the u. S. , mexico, and canada hold a major summit in mexico, u. S. Border patrol agent shoots and kills a man youre the border in san diego after the agent was hit in the face with a rock. Rocks are considered the full force. If we look at other zones of conflict around the globe, we have brokerdeals to try to get rock throwing and lethal force taken out of the system, but we dont do that here the u. S. Mexico border. We can actually fire at rock throwers. All of that and more coming up. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. In ukraine, shortlived truce between the government and opposition protesters has broken down amidst the bloodiest period in the monthlong uprising. At least 21 people have died just today in clashes between protesters and Security Forces. Clear thato be very as we work through these next several days in ukraine, that we are going to be watching very carefully and we expect the Ukrainian Government to show restraint, to not resort to violence in dealing with Peaceful Protesters. We have said we also expect Peaceful Protesters to remain peaceful. We will be monitoring carefully the situation, recognizing along with our European Partners and the International Community, there will be consequences of people step over the line. Or on ukraine after headlines. The trial opens today in egypt for three to 10 al jazeera journalists who are accused of terrorism related charges. Peter greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were arrested in late december. Their case has grown on global condemnation against egypts militarybacked regime for clamping down on freedom of speech. Peters brother spoke to reporters on wednesday. L with then a cel other two journalists. Tough. Ditions are pretty i think probably the most difficult thing for him is the mental challenge of staying positive and focused and not allowing the conditions is living under to become overwhelming and depressing. In total, 20 journalists are said to go on trial today including eight who are in custody. In a victory for opponents of the Keystone Xl Oil pipeline, a judge in nebraska has voted the states approval of the pipeline route. District court judge Stephanie Stacy struck out in a 2011 law that allowed governor Dave Heineman to approve the pipelines route through nebraska, singh the decision should have been left up to a state commission. The pipeline would funnel Tar Sands Oil from canada to the u. S. Gulf coast, but critics say it would fuel Climate Change and threaten the health of communities in its path. Obama has yet to issue a decision on whether to approve the pipeline. Federal prosecutors have issued more than 20 subpoenas to North Carolinas Environmental Agency as part of a criminal probe into a coalash spill by duke energy. Set the subpoenas follow reports the agency block lawsuits against duke energy, where the North Carolina governor worked for 28 years. Earlier this month, a leaking pipe caused one of the worst coal ash spills in u. S. History. On tuesday, state regulators announced they had found a second leak containing unsafe levels of arsenic at the same site. Meanwhile, yet another coal waste spill was reported in west virginia. State regulators said snow melting in to waste ponds cause contaminated water to overflow into a nearby creek. The Obama Administration has approved a 6. 5 billion loan in guarantees to back construction of the nations first new Nuclear Power plant in more than 30 years. The plan is crawling under construction in waynesboro, georgia. The announcement comes as the administration investigates a radioactive leak at a Nuclear Waste site in new mexico. , core proceedings against human rights activist Zainab Alkhawaja were postponed on wednesday to march 3. She could return to prison after she was released on sunday following nearly a year behind bars. She spoke to democracy now on tuesday. We are calling for a country isre every bahraini respected and treated equally. We won a country where we feel we have rights and dignity, where people cant step all of us, cant torture and kill and get away with these things. Were living in the country basically where the criminals are the most powerful people in the country and where a lot of us feel proud when we are in jail because we know in bahrain when you go to jail, it is because she did something right, not wrong. The prodemocracy uprising in bahrain markets third anniversary last friday. To see the full interview with Zainab Alkhawaja, go to democracynow. Org. U. S. Regulators have announced they will not appeal a court ruling that struck down rules promoting equal access to the internet. Instead, the federal to medications Commission Says it will rewrite the regulations on net neutrality, which were sent providers to provide all content at equal speeds. A court rejected the rules last month after a legal challenge by verizon. A trove of newly released documents has raised new questions about ties between the campaign of Wisconsin RepublicanGovernor Scott walker and his former post in county office. Governor walker served as Milwaukee County executive wall running for governor in the 2010 election. Beenf his aides have criminally convicted of conducting Campaign Business on the taxpayer dime. Documents unsealed wednesday reveal just how closely walker and his aides blurred campaign and official business. They link walker to a secret email routing system used by his county staff and show he directed county staff to hold daily strategy calls with campaign aides. The revelations come as walker eyes of potential president ial bid in 2016. A member of the jury in the trial of michael dunn for killing africanamerican teenager jordan davis during a dispute over loud music says she believes dunn got away with murder. At theho is white, shot vehicle carrying davis and his friends 10 times. He then fled the scene, went to a hotel with his fiancee and ordered pizza. He never called police. The jury deadlocked on a murder charge saturday, but convicted him of three counts of attempted murder, meaning he faces a minimum of 60 years in prison. Only asidentified valerie was interviewed by abc. You think michael dunn had options . Yes. What were his options . Roll up your window, but your card reverse, ignore the taunting, back up to the front of the store, move over to another parking space. The juror said three out of her 12 fellow members ultimately felt michael dunn was justified in killing jordan davis. Dunn claimed davis had a gun, but police never found one. A man charged under new york state terrorism laws in the case that raised claims of entrapment has accepted a plea deal to serve 16 is in prison. Jose pimentel was arrested in 2011 and accused of being an al qaeda sympathizer who is trying to build a bomb. The federal authorities declined to join the case saying Jose Pimentel did not appear predisposed or capable of carrying out an attack. Defense attorneys say he was entrapped by informants who gave him food, shelter, and marijuana. He pleaded guilty just days before his trial to avoid a possible life sentence. The state of new york as a group has agreed to limit its use of solitary confinement and prisons. System willison become the largest in the country to ban solitary confinement as a disciplinary measure for those under 18. The deal also curbs the use of solitary confinement for pregnant and developmentally disabled prisoners. Donna lieberman said authorities in texas has suspended the license of the houston doctor who has provided abortions for 40 years after he failed to comply with the states new antichoice law. Dr. Theodore haring had failed to meet the laws requirement to obtain a meeting privileges at a nearby hospital. Critics say such privileges are medically necessary and can be impossible to obtain because abortion providers dont admit enough patience to meet hospital minimums and because some hospitals oppose abortion. In related news, doctors at the only remaining Abortion Clinic in north dakota have obtained hospital admitting privileges, which are also required under the states law. A mother pennsylvania meanwhile is facing multiple criminal charges for ordering medications to induce abortion on the internet and giving them to her 16yearold daughter. Denver whelan said she could not find a nearby Abortion Clinic and did not realize she needed a prescription for the medications. The use of selfinduced medication abortions appears to be on the rise in states where restrictions are making harder to access legal abortion. News from russia, a video released wednesday shows members of the russian protest whipped byriot being Security Forces as they try to film a music video in sochi. I have marks. I have a bruise here. My finger nails are broken. In my eyes and nose i have tear gas. Those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with juan gonzalez. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. A shortlived truce has broken down in ukraine history battles have erupted between antigovernment protesters and police. Last night the countrys embattled president and the Opposition Leaders demanding his resignation called for a truce and negotiations to try to resolve ukraines political crisis. The truce only lasted a few hours. The last three days have been the bloodiest period of ukraines 22 year postsoviet history with over 50 people dying including at least 21 today. The truce ended today when armed protesters attempted to retake independence square. Oh size have accused the other of using ammunition. The cranium paramedic described paramedic a described the scene. Somebodies are at the concert hall and summer at the barricades. There might be around 15 or 20 debt. It is hard to count. Know, three dead people are at the city hall and two more debt or at the main post office. There are so many of the concert hall, that we do not even take them. The Ukrainian Parliament and cabinet buildings have reportedly been evacuated because of fears they could be stormed by protesters. The ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych is meeting with the Foreign Ministers from germany, poland, and france. He Obama Administration stepped up pressure on the Ukrainian Government wednesday by announcing a visa ban on 20 members of the Ukrainian Government. The u. S. Is also threatening to place sanctions on the Ukrainian Government. The protest began in late november after president Viktor Yanukovych reversed his decision to sign a longawaited trade deal with the European Union to forge stronger ties with russia instead. To talk about the latest in ukraine, were joined by Stephen Cohen, Professor Emeritus of russian studies and politics at New York University and princeton university. His most recent book is, soviet fates and lost alternatives from stalinism to the new cold war. It is now out in paperback. His latest piece in the nation is called, distorting russia how the American Media misrepresent putin, sochi and ukraine. So talk about the latest, professor. Where to begin. Were watching history being made, but history of the worst kind. That is what im telling my grandchildren watch this. What is happening there, lets take the big picture and in the small picture. The big picture is, people are dying in the street every day. The number 50 is certainly too few. They are still finding bodies. Splitting apart. It is not one country, despite the u. S. Media. Historically, ethnically, religiously, it is two countries. We now have reliable reports the antigovernment forces in the streets and there are some very nasty people among them are seizing weapons and western cranium military bases. We clearly have the possibility of a civil war. In the longerterm outcome i want to emphasize this because nobody in the United States was to Pay Attention to it. The outcome may be the construction, the emergence of a new cold war divide between west and east, not this time as it was for our generation in faraway berlin, right on the borders of russia, right to the heart of slavic civilization. If that happens, if that is the new cold war divide, it is permanent instability and permanent potential for real war for decades to come. That is what is at stake. One last point, also something that nobody in this country wants to talk about, the western authorities who bear some responsibility for what has happened and, therefore, also have blood on their hands, are taking no responsibility. Uttering benign statements. Because of their vacuous nature, they are encouraging and rationalizing the people of ukraine who are throwing molotov cocktails, now have weapons, are shooting a police. We would not permit that any western capital, no matter how righteous the cause. But it is being condoned by the European Union and washington as defense unfold. We say the western countries who bear some responsibility, in what sense . Clearly, there is in an effort by the u. S. And europe ever since the collapse of the soviet union to pull the former soviet states into their economic sphere, but is that what youre talking about . I mean that look at it through moscows eyes. The Clinton Administration in u. S. Led weste has been on a steady march. Oward postsoviet bush further expanded nato all the way to russias borders. Then came the funding of what are called ngos, but our Political Action groups. Then came the decision to build Missile Defense installations along russias borders, allegedly against iran, a country which has another Nuclear Weapons nor any missiles to deliver them with, but then comes American Military outpost in the former soviet republic of georgia which led to the war and now at the gates of ukraine. That is the picture as moscow sees it. It is rational. It is reasonable. It is hard to deny. As for the immediate crisis, who precipitated this crisis . The American Media says it was putin and the president of ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych. But it was the European Union backed by the u. S. , democratic elected president of a profoundly divided country ukraine said you must choose between europe and russia. That was an ultimatum to yanukovich. Putint moment, what did say . Why does ukraine have to choose . He said, we are prepared to help ukraine avoid economic collapse along with the west. Lets make it a package to ukraine. It was rejected in brussels and washington. Int precipitated the protest the streets. Since then, the dynamic that any of us who have ever witnessed these kinds of struggles in the streets unfolded as extremists have taken control on the movement from the socalled moderate ukrainian leaders. The moderate ukrainian Leaders Within the western Foreign Ministers are traveling to kiev to talk, they have lost control of the situation. By the way, people ask, is it a revolution . Once i never revolution is the first victims of revolution are the moderates. Then it becomes a struggle between the extreme forces on either side. That is what we are witnessing. Lets go to the Opposition Leader who admitted earlier today the opposition does not have full control of protesters in independence square. The only chance is to stop the riot police, stop the protesters, to impose demilitarized zone, and to move these conflicts from the streets to the parliament. Are the protesters out of control . I would be very frank, that the government doesnt control the riot police and it is through difficult for the opposition to control maidan. There are a number of forces who are uncontrolled. [indiscernible] ukraine is in a big mess. A moderate. Who wants to be president . President obama is in mexico for the big mexico, canada, u. S. , talking about ukraine. Ukraine, alongto with our European Partners, we will continue to engage all sides and we continue to stress to president yanukovich and the Ukrainian Government that they have the primary responsibility