The couple had recently spent time at the ranch of cliven bundy during his standoff with the federal government. We will speak with mark potok. Then for the second time in 48 hours, pakistans largest airport is forced to close to two an attack by taliban militants. We will go to pakistan for the latest. And then to the student debt. To get even more student borrowers a chance to save money requires action from congress. We will be signing an executive order that will make progress, but not enough. We need more. Products president obama moves to cap student loan payments at a time when tuition is spiraling beyond reach and student loan 1 trillion. Ed a new film ivory tower asks, is College Worth the cost . All of that and more coming up. Welcome to democracy now, democracy now. Org a war and peace report, i am amy goodman. Five u. S. Service members and at least one afghan soldier have been killed in what appears to be on of the deadliest instances of from the fire of the war in afghanistan. The soldiers were mistakenly killed by an airstrike that was called in by u. S. Troops to beat back a taliban ambush. The incident occurred in Zabul Province where soldiers were conducting Security Operations ahead of saturdays president ial runoff. An earlier friendly fire strike killed five Afghan Soldiers in march. Afghans have opposed the airstrikes for mistakenly killing civilians. Afghan president karzai refused to sign a longterm security deal with United States until the air attacks stop. Iraq, islamist militants reportedly have taken effective control of the secondlargest city, capturing key buildings in mosul deliberate in liberating more than 1000 inmates from central prison. Hundreds of fighters, believed to be part of the al qaeda Splinter Group the Islamic State launchednd the levant, an assault overnight, causing police and soldiers to flee from their posts. The militants have overrun the provincial government headquarters, local tv stations, and the airport. An internal audit by the department of Veterans Affairs has found more than 57,000 veterans have been waiting at least three months for an initial appointment to see a dr. , while about 43,000 have appointments more than three months away. Across hundreds of the a medical s oflities, 13 of schedule and falsified on wait times. The audit was ordered by former Veterans Affairs secretary Eric Shinseki before he resigned last month. Suspected members of bogart raum have kidnapped at least 20 women, loading them into vans at gunpoint. The abduction took lace in a nomadic settlement where boko haram abducted more than 300 schoolgirls in april. In pakistan, the taliban has attacked a Training Facility near the karachi airport. Less than two days after their attack on the airport left at least 30 people dead. Ofre were no media reports casualties. Earlier today, the pakistani militant military said it constructed airstrikes in the northwest, killing at least 15 people they called militants. More on the situation in pakistan later in the broadcast. President obama has announced new steps to ease the 1. 2 chilean dollar student debt, noting americans now owe more money on Student Loans than on credit cards. Obama plus executive order will cap loan payments for millions of people at 10 of monthly income, a socalled pay as you earn model. Announcing step so open that pay as you earn to nearly 5 million more americans. That is the first action we are taking. The second action is to read negotiate contracts for have a Companies Like sallie mae that service are Student Loans. We will make it clear, these companies are in the business of helping students come and not just collecting payments. And they owe young people the Customer Service and support and Financial Flexibility that they deserve. More on the student debt later in the broadcast. Dealt aeme court has blow to young immigrants who turn 21 while their petitions for u. S. Visas are still pending. Each year, tens of thousands of young immigrants age out of the years long visa process after applying with their families. On monday, the court backed the Obama Administrations stance that most immigrants must restart their wait for a visa after they turn 21. Only those with applications filed by parents who are permanent u. S. Citizens residents can keep their place in line. Case, the Supreme Court has barred a group of North Carolina residents from suing the Electronics Company they say contaminated their drinking water, because a state deadline had lapsed. The deadline applies even though residents did not realize their water contained toxic in michaels until 2009, decades after the contamination by cts corporation. The ruling could also impact the case of thousands of marines and their families who are suing the Obama Administration over exposure to contaminated groundwater at camp lejeune. The government is using the same state law to shield itself from that lawsuit. A married couple who went on a shooting rampage in las vegas were reportedly known for the racist, antigovernment views and had spent time at the ranch of cliven bundy during his standoff a the federal government. Clark county assistant sheriff Kevin Mcmahill described their actions on sunday, when they killed themselves after shooting dead three others, including two Police Officers. Immediately upon the shooting pulledng, the suspects the officers out of the booth and on the ground where they placed a dont tread on the yellow flag on the body of officer beck and through a swastika on top of his body. At that point, mr. Jerad miller pinned a note to officer soldo the basically stated this is the beginning of the revolution. Virginia, Democratic State senator has resigned in what critics call a plot by republicans to trade jobs for political control in their bid to thwart the expansion of medicaid. The Washington Post reports the resignation of state senator Phillip Puckett paves the way to appoint his daughter to a judgeship and puckett to the job of Deputy Director of the state tobacco commission. Republicanse gives control of the virginia senate, potentially quashing a plan to expand medicaid to hundreds of thousands of lowincome state residents. Of east haven, connecticut has agreed to pay 450,000 and adopt new limits on the role of police in immigration enforcement, in order to settle a civil rights lawsuit by latino residents. Under the new limits, which an attorney for the plaintiffs called some of the strongest in the country, police will limit questioning without about status and decline to detain people at the behest of immigration authorities without a criminal warrant. Alleged abuses by east haven police, including false arrests and illegal searches, led to a Justice DepartmentConsent Decree and the criminal convictions of four Police Officers. In brazil, subway workers of suspended a fiveday strike over wages, but warned it could resume in time for thursdays opening match of the world cup. On monday, meanwhile, striking teachers protested in rio de janeiro. And thee showing brazil world our country needs to invest in health care, education, outlook transportation, not in stadiums or airports. We need public goods they go to the people, not to fifa and tourists. We want an investment that stays here, stays for the people. In the philippines, a veteran radio journalist and anchor in the south has been shot dead in the Western Province of oriental mindoro. Nilo baculo senior reportedly sought Court Protection in 2008, saying local officials were plotting to kill him for exposing their role in the illegal drug trade. According to the center for Media Freedom and responsibility , his the 25th journalist killed in the philippines since 2010 when president acquino took office. A walmart truck driver who collided with a limo in a fatal crash on the new jersey turnpike had not slept for more than 24 hours before the crash. The crash critically injured saturday night live comedian tracy morgan and two others and killed comedian james mcnair. Prosecutorss filed a criminal complaint against the driver while walmart said in a statement it was profoundly sorry that one of our trucks was involved. The crash came just days after members of the senate moved to loosen regulations aimed at preventing truck driver fatigue. Last week, Senate Committee passed a measure to suspend the requirement that truckers take extended breaks after reaching 70 hours on the road over an eightday period. In washington, d. C. , students from Woodrow Wilson high school gathered for a counterrally monday against the Westboro Baptist church, which came to protest the School Celebration of lgbt pride. Last week, the schools principal came out of the school assembly. A proud gay man that just happens to be the principle of wilson high school. [applause] out whilencipal spoke standing alongside d. C. Mayor vincent gray. On monday, hundreds of students and Community Members gathered to show their support for lgbt equality and to condemn the Westboro BaptistChurch Members whom they vastly outnumbered. We took it together to be proud of who we are and be happy , like what were doing is making an impact that this group bills after protesters. You can learn a lot about the standing up for your rights. When people come to my town, im going to stand up and be counted. And those are the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with aaron mate. Welcome to all our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. A candlelight vigil was held outside of a las vegas pizza restaurant last night where two City Police Officers were shot dead on sunday. The shootings were carried out by husband and wife who had long spouted rightwing antigovernment views online. According to police, jerad and Amanda Miller shot the lease officers at point blank range, then took their weapons and ammunition and cover the bodies with a flag reading dont tread on me. The flag dates back to the revolutionary war, but more recently has been associated with the American Tea Party movement and patriot groups. The millers also reportedly pinned a note on one of the officers body saying this is the beginning of the revolution. The couple fled to a walmart where they killed a third person. After a shootout with police, Amanda Miller reportedly shot dead her husband and then turned the gun on herself. Kevin mcmahill is assistant sheriff in clark county, las vegas. Trying to make a determination what it is that could have been the motive, what was the motivation behind their targeting Police Officers and walking in with no warning and executing our officers. I can tell you that there is no doubt the suspects have some apparent ideology that is along the lines of militia and white supremacist. On june 7, one day before the shooting, jerad miller wrote on facebook, the dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it. Five days earlier, he wrote on facebook, we can hope for peace, we must, however, prepare for war. To stop this oppression. I fear, can only be a compost with bloodshed. Both jerad and amanda had recently spent time at Cliven Bundys nevada ranch during a recent standoff there between annual armed militia members and federal government agents. Another was interviewed at the ranch. I. For any federal agents that want to come in here and tried to push us around or anything like that. I really dont want Violence Toward them, but if theyre going to come bring balance to us, well, if that is land which they want to speak, we will learn it. The shooting in just two days after a man in georgia attempted to attack the courthouse. Dennis marx, a former tsa employee with ties to the sovereign citizen movement, allegedly attacked the courthouse on friday, throwing smoke bombs and shooting a sheriff deputy who returned fire and killed him. Authorities say dennis marx had homemade explosives and food and water, suggesting he planned to take hostages. To talk more about these cases, were joined by mark potok the director of intelligence project at the southern poverty law center. Use joining us from alabama. Ill come back to democracy now welcome back to democracy now first talk about what happened in las vegas, the killing of the Police Officers, laying a swastika on them and the dont tread on me flag. Who are the millers . Well, looking at their postings, i dont think theres much White Supremacy there. I dont see that at all. The swastika i think clearly was saying the police are in nazis. Quite a lot posted about liberty, freedom, the need to rise up, his willingness to become a martyr and so on. But he very rarely got into the details of his ideology. He was clearly part of the Patriot Movement. The one thing he really talked about a lot was guns. That of course is central concern for the Patriot Movement. At one point, he talked about, if you even disagree that the Second Amendment should be interpreted in such a way in a very liberal weight in terms of an ownership, that you should be hung from a lamppost if you dont leave the country. So that seemed to be really the central idea. Standoff wasundy incredibly important in terms of the Patriot Movement and very likely for the millers as well. I think there are tens of thousands of people around the country associated generally with the Patriot Movement who saw this as a huge victory. After all, the federal Law Enforcement officials backed off. They simply backed away when all those people at the bundy ranch pointed their weapons at them, and that Cliven Bundys cattle go. This was seen as a great victory and very possibly for the millers, it was a victory that signaled the beginning of the war. It seems to have encouraged them to go on and enjoy the battle, essentially. Mark potok, they reportedly were kicked out of the cliven bundy ranch after fellow militia members learned of their past. Do you think there might of been more people like the millers at the ranch . And did this whole standoff foster a culture that enabled militants to come and a symbol . Thems, i think it enabled and encouraged them to come and assemble. I think despite what cliven bundy has said, the reality is, the bundy family welcomed people from the militias and other organizations like that, armed to the teeth. To me, the central moment in the Bundy Standoff was when you had a dozen or so of these militiamen literally pointing scope sniper weapons at the heads of lawenforcement officials. That is virtually unprecedented, at least without bloodshed immediately following. At the end of the day, i think the government to the right thing to back off, but my god, it came close to a real bloodbath. Yes, answer the question, i think youre probably quite a lot of people at the bundy ranch who really are itching for a fight. Revolution,talking talking bloodshed. They were very well armed. And so i think the millers perhaps were a little less atypical than is being suggested. Talk about what happened with dennis marx in georgia. Marx was a man unknown to us and tell he attacked the Forsyth County courthouse. From what the police are saying, hes a selfdescribed sovereign citizen, a subset within the Patriot Movement, people who believe the federal government has no right to impose its laws, its tax laws and so on. Ive not seen any of the documentation supporting the idea that he is a sovereign citizen. But certainly, yet some kind of political motive. He apparently intended to storm into the courthouse to take hostages. And from there we really dont know. He was killed. Theres no real manifesto left behind to explain his actions. It does seem to be a part of his upsurge with this upsurge were seeing by patriot groups or people on the radical right in general. There was another very similar case the day before. Last thursday, in new brunswick, canada, of all places, where a canadian with very extreme ideas about gun ownership similar to the militias here in the united three actually murdered Police Officers before finally being captured there. Is athink the movement least a bit on fire at the moment, and may get worse before it gets better. Is is all in the context, mark potok, of the last few weeks, the decision to revive the domestic terror unit within the Justice Department. Can you talk about what that is . This was a unit which was dedicated which brought people from different agencies toge