Us back to the 1950s. Today we spend the hour with Robert Redford, acclaimed oscar winning director, actor and longtime environmentalist. I think it should stay in the ground. I think were so close to polluting the planet the on anything sustainable. Robert redford is the founder of the Sundance Film Festival, now in its 31st year. We talk with him about diversity and independence on both sides of the camera. And his latest film, a walk in the woods, which is about getting older. It is about walking the appellation trail and getting older. It has to do with what time you have left. He just going to sit and one thing you dont want to do is be the guy sitting in a bathrobe on a stoop somewhere and go, i wish i would have, should have. You dont want to have that. So you make the most of your life. Robert redford. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from park city, utah. Former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is warning the confrontation in ukraine could turn into an allout war between russia and the west. Gorbachev accused the west of dragging russia into a new cold war. He said i can no longer say that this cold war will not lead to a hot war. i fear that they could risk it. More than 5,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian Forces and prorussian separatists in eastern ukraine. On wednesday, u. S. Treasury secretary jack lew traveled to kiev to give ukraine a 2 billion loan guarantee. Ukrainian Prime MinisterArseny Yatseniuk met with lew and thanked the United States as one of ukraines strongest allies. We are defending freedoms and liberties in ukraine and the entire world. So this is the right way to do and i would like to iterate once again that the United States is one of the strongest allies of ukraine. Two Israeli Soldiers and a spanish United Nations peacekeeper were killed on wednesday in an exchange of fire between hezbollah and israel in one of the most violent clashes between the two sides since the 2006 war. The soldiers were killed when hezbollah fired five missiles at a convoy of Israeli Military vehicles. The u. N. Peacekeeper died in lebanon when israel responded with air strikes and artillery fire. Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu spoke on Israeli Television after meeting with security chiefs. Whoever is behind todays attack will pay the full price. For some time, i ran has been trying to establish an additional terrorist front against us from the golan heights. We are taking strong and responsible actions against this attempt. The lebanese government and the alassad regime share responsibility of the consequences of the attacks emanating from the territories against the state of israel. At the United Nations chilean ambassador cristian barros, who is serving as president of the u. N. Security council, condemned the killing of a u. N. Peacekeeper. The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the deaths of a peacekeeper. The members of the Security Council express their deepest sympathy to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the government of spain. Wednesdays attack by hezbollah on israel took place in the occupied forms disputed tract of land occupied by israel but claimed by both lebanon and syria. In washington, state Department Spokesperson jen psaki defended israels actions. Just a technical question, some have made the argument that this area is israelioccupied lebanon. What is the u. S. Position on the status . I would have to check with our legal team on a specific status. I would be happy to do that. In a symbolic move, the new greek government has hired almost 600 laid off government cleaners, mostly women, who had been protesting outside the finance and economy ministries. They were laid off in 2013 to meet demands by international lenders. On greeces new finance minister wednesday, Yanis Varoufakis announced the decision. One of our first moves will be the immediate cutting up costs at the ministry. For example, the number of advisers. This spending cut will fund the retiring of the cleaning ladies at the ministry. Rehiring of the cleaning ladies at the ministry. Attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch is back on capitol hill today for day two of her confimration hearing. If confirmed, lynch will become the first africanamerican woman to serve as attorney general. During wednesdays hearing, lynch described the National Security agencys spying programs as constitutional and effective. Recent events have underscored the importance of this as an issue in the war on terror. I would hope we could move forward with any proposed changes to fisa with a full and complete understanding of the risks that we are still facing, and if any changes need to be made, again, after full and fair consideration with this committee met with the intelligence committee, and the discussions that we need to have, making sure we can still provide Law Enforcement with each will say need. Senator Patrick Leahy questioned her about torture. Do you agree waterboarding is torture and it is illegal . Waterboarding is torture. And thus illegal . Does illegal. Republican senators repeatedly questioned lynch about her views on president obamas execution action on immigration. This is republican senator Jeff Sessions of alabama. When we have a high number of unemployed, weve had declining wages for many years, with the lowest percentage of americans working, who has more right to a job in this country, a lawful immigrant who is a green card holder or citizen or person who entered the country unlawfully . Senator, i believe the right and the obligation to work as one that is shared by everyone in this country. Regardless of how they came here. Certainly, if someone is here regardless of status, i would prefer they be participating in the workplace and not. Talks to her confirmation hearing, attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch revealed she was against the legalization of marijuana and for the death penalty. The u. S. Supreme court has stayed the execution of three oklahoma deathrow prisoners until the court hears a challenge to the states lethal injection formula. One of the prisoners, richard glossip, had been scheduled to die tonight. A new academic student has concluded foreign governments are 100 times more likely to intervene in civil wars if the troubled state is an oilrich nation. Petros sekeris of the university of portsmouth said his Research Shows clear evidence that countries with potential for Oil Production are more likely to be targeted by foreign intervention if civil wars erupt. In related news, Royal Dutch Shell has signed an 11 billion deal with iraq to build a massive oil plant in the basra. The cbc and the intercept have revealed canadas leading Surveillance Agency is monitoring millions of Internet Users file downloads in a secret program codenamed levitation. It caps on to internet cables and analyzes records of the to 15 million downloads daily from popular websites commonly used to share videos, photographs music, and other files. The report is based on documents provided by National SecurityAgency Whistleblower edward snowden. A new report has found more 16 million children in the United States live in families that receive food stamps. The figure has almost doubled since 2007 before the economic crisis began. According to the Southern Education foundation, more than half the children attending Public School now qualify for federal programs for free or reducedprice lunches the highest percentage in at least 50 years. At a summit of latin american leaders in costa rica, cuban president castro called on president obama to use executive powers to ease the decadeslong embargo against cuba. President barack obama could use his wideranging executive authority to modify substantially the application of the blockade. It is in his hands to do this without a decision from congress. Raul castro also said cuba will not be able to normalize relations with the United States until washington gives back the land being used for the guantanamo prison and naval base. In other news from latin america, two former chilean intelligence officials have been sentenced in the murders of Charles Horman and frank teruggi, two u. S. Citizens who were killed shortly after the 1973 coup led by gen. Augusto pinochet. Retired Army Intelligence officer Pedro Espinoza was sentenced to seven years in prison. Rafael gonzalez, who worked for Chilean Air Force intelligence was sentenced to two years of police supervision. The horman case inspired the 1982 costagavras film , missing. In news from australia authorities conducting an inquest into the deadly siege at a chocolate cafe in sydney last month have concluded one of the hostages was killed by Police Bullet fragments. Jeremy gormly is assisting the New South Wales state coroner. She was struck by six fragments a Police Bullet or bullets, which ricocheted from hard surfaces into her body. I will not detail the damage done to miss dawson other than to say one fragment struck a major blood vessel. She lost consciousness quickly and died shortly afterwards. In st. Louis, a brawl broke out at a Public Meeting as local residents gathered to discuss a plan to set up a board to review complaints against the police. The proposal was drawn up after 18yearold Michael Brown was fatally shot by a Police Officer in nearby ferguson, missouri last august. People angry at what they say is mistreatment at the hands of the police began shouting and scuffling when a member of the Police Officers union began speaking out against the proposal. Who wants to be the next Darren Wilson hung in effigy in the town square because of defending his life . What citizens want is a new level of accountability. Charges are being dismissed against a detroit Police Officer who fatally shot aiyana stanleyjones, a 7yearold girl, during a botched 2010 raid at her home. Aiyana was shot while she was sleeping on the couch with her grandmother. The officer, joseph weekley, was originally charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and careless discharge of a firearm causing death. Weekley was tried twice in court. Both times ended with a hung jury. And a South Carolina court clear has tossed the convictions of a group of africanamerican civil rights activists known as the friendship nine who were arrested for sitting at a whitesonly lunch counter in 1961. Found guilty of trespassing, they became the countrys first demonstrators to choose to serve jail time rather than pay a fine for sitting at an allwhite lunch counter, launching the jail, no bail strategy. Clarence graham was one of the nine who took part in the action. And 1961, we went downtown. We were not looking for any hero worship. We were simply 10 students who were tired of the status quo tired of being treated like subclass citizens, tired of being kicked, called the n word. On wednesday, judge john c. Hayes iii announced the decision to clear the men. Hayes is the nephew of the judge who handed down the original sentence. And those are some of the headlines, this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war today, a democracy now special. This is democracy now democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are broadcasting from the Sundance Film Festival in its 31st year. Were joined once again by the sundance founder, Robert Redford. Yes, the acclaimed oscar winning director, actor, environmentalist. Welcome back to democracy now it is great to have you with us. Were going to jump into it. Just a week ago, the senate refused to formally acknowledge the existence of human induced Climate Change. 49 republicans voted against the measure, noting human activity significantly contributes to Climate Change. They voted no. Your response . That is no surprise. I think it is pretty obvious what is going on. I think deniers of Climate Change are probably people who are afraid of change. They dont want to see change. They want to hang on they want to hang on to the way things were. My feeling about the deniers and a lot of other issues out there is, too many in congress are pushing us back to the 1950s. That is what it feels like. Theyre pushing us back in time rather than forward in time. Why . Maybe they are afraid of not being able to be included. I dont know what it is. It is kind of sad because theyre so polarized. Meanspirited. Your sense of the Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell . My sense of him . I dont think much of him. What i do think of him, i probably shouldnt be talking about. No, i will tell you, where he really crossed with me was when obama was elected and he announced as the minority leader , our chief objective is to go against him on everything he tries to do. When he said that i said, this guy is going to be a speaker . This feels unamerican. It felt like an unamerican thing to do and say. From that point on, he has been relentless in denying and going against, not great for the american public, that represented it in my mind. One of their first access to push for the keystone xl pipeline. It is for a strange to be here with you now because just a few years ago, we were talking about this very subject. President obama still hasnt ruled on it, but the republicans and some democrats are pushing forward on the keystone. It is the same old same old. It is all about jobs. The Bigger Picture is not been looked at. The Bigger Picture is not being told. Another words, lets start with the idea of a pipeline going that many miles, 1200 miles, whatever it is, and there is never been a leak in a pipeline . It leaks already. Montana, san jose, california. Why do you look at the history of pipelines. My suggestion would be, dont listen to these guys because there pushing something that is about yesterday. But look at the history. Look at the history of pipelines, wherever, all over. Find out how many leaks. How secure have they been . How have they destroyed certain communities with their leaks . Those issues are not being addressed. And there is the job issue in the dispute on that. I say, look at the history. Mainly, look at the facts. Listen to the argument just say, hold on, lets look at the history of pipelines, lets look at the facts. The true facts, not the ones hyped up by the gop. They so often say we need this oil to move forward in america. Well, we also need alternative energy too. I think that is the future. I dont think oil is the future. This is going to be an a popular view, but i have worked in an oil field as a kid, and the chevron oil fields in california. So i have had a lot of experience with oil. I think it should stay in the ground now. I think were so close to polluting the planet beyond anything sustainable, i think we better start lets stop this argument about generative energy is not going to produce enough jobs. To me, that is mistake because it would reduce an industry and an industry would produce jobs. Some but he has to speak up to the fact that alternative energy is the way of the future, not oil, certainly not cold and gas. That is my feeling. And your thoughts on the Koch Brothers . It is just been announced they and their allied groups will pour 900 billion into the next election, doubling what they did in the last election. 900 million into the next election. Money is the name of the game. I think money is what moves the ball, and theyre moving the ball. I think it is moving in the wrong direction. It is very narrowminded, but they have the money to do it. It is a free country. Some people might say, why my talking to this famous actor oscarwinning director, about issues like the environment and money and politics . Well, i guess you could call me an activist, since 1969. I have been involved in the environment from the standpoint of wanting to draw attention to what an alternative could be, rather than what we have been having. I remember when i was at a conference in vail, colorado and they talked about all of the energy going, all of the effort and energy and money was going to oil gas coal, and nothing was been contributed to the alternative energy. I thought, this stuff is going to run out. It is not infinite. It is going to run out. And it is costly. Bennett pollutes our planet. s summit he doesnt start thinking about what were going to develop for our survival, it is going to be a question of what we preserve for survi